Click to enlarge
The photo above shows Lions cornerback Darius Slay Jr. tackling Saints wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in a game that took place back on Oct. 15. As you can see, both players wear the generational suffix on their NOBs, but there’s a difference: Ginn’s JrOB includes a period; Slay’s doesn’t.
That isn’t just a random omission on Slay’s jersey. The Lions’ protocol is to omit the period on their JrOBs and SrOBs, as you can see in these shots of wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. and defensive back Tavon Wilson Sr.:
Or at least that’s their current style. Back in 2012, they included the period, at least for wide receiver Titus Young Sr.:
The Lions aren’t the only team that currently omits the period. Look at these Giants photos, for example, and you’ll see that they do the same thing:
Another team that omits the period: the Ravens. They’ve been skipping the period for several years now:
Yet another team that consistently goes without the period — the Browns:
And then there are the Falcons, Broncos, Seahawks, Browns, and Panthers — they also choose to omit the period:
Some teams are inconsistent, such as Washington. At different times, they’ve gone period-inclusive and period-free:
The Buccaneers have been even more inconsistent, using both styles at various times for the same player:
This is probably the smallest detail I’ve ever been obsessed with, but the obsession is strong. Period vs. no period — how had I never noticed the distinction until now? It jumps off the screen now when I’m watching a game. I haven’t yet researched all 32 NFL teams (to say nothing of the 90 other Big Four teams), but it seems like something worth looking into. Anyone want to take a crack at it?
I should probably mention here that I don’t think generational suffixes belong on NOBs to begin with. But if they’re going to be there, I think they should include the period. I mean, teams always include the period for first initials, right? So why not for “Jr.” and “Sr.”? I admit that omitting the period makes the NOB look a bit cleaner, but it just feels wrong.
Discuss.
Sticky fingers: We’ve occasionally offered stickers from the good people at StickerYou. They’ve now set up a little Uni Watch sticker shop on their site. If you click on the “Make Custom Stickers” button, you’ll see that we’re offering a bunch of designs that originally ran on our T-shirts. You can order a full sticker sheet of the same design, or build a mix-and-match variety sheet.
Are there other sticker designs you’d like to see? Would you like to see Naming Wrongs stickers? Anything else? Let me know.
Also: Remember our recently launched Uni Watch shield T-shirt? Rob Ullman, who designed that logo, went ahead and ordered a few dozen stickers of the shield, which he’s selling on Etsy. You can buy those as individual stickers, instead of a full sheet. But once those few dozen are gone, that’s it, so move fast.
The Ticker
By Kris Gross
Baseball News: The Gwinnett Braves are expected to announce a name change this month. The announcement, which will select the winner from six possible options, is expected on the morning of Dec. 8, one week from today (thanks Phil).
NFL News: After all the “Will they or won’t they?” drama, Washington went ahead and wore mono-burgundy uniforms for last night’s game against Dallas. … Also from last night, Washington safety DJ Swearinger honored Sean Taylor with his cleats and facemask tape (from Robert Hayes and @SteveBCreations). … Cowboys WR Dez Bryant warmed up in socks because he gave his shoes to a Make-A-Wish kid (thanks Brinke). … More “My Cause, My Cleats” designs, as Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap and Packers DE Mike Daniels target bullying. … Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell and OL Alejandro Villanueva support work for veterans (thanks Alex and Jake Elman). … Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is even getting in on the “My Cause” action. … Here is a list of all the Raiders players that will wear special cleats this weekend. … The Titans will go mono-navy on Sunday. … Andrew Gordon did a little math, and figured out that 15 of the 32 NFL teams (47%) have the team name on the front of their jerseys. … Marty Hick has set up a Christmas tree decorated with NFL helmets, with the league logo as the tree topper.
College Football News: TCU will wear black helmets, white jerseys, and black pants for tomorrow’s game against Oklahoma, while FIU will go mono-blue for their game against UMass. … Here’s a chart that breaks down UNC’s record by uniform from 2012 through the present (from James Gilbert). … Stanford will have chrome helmet logos and striping tape for tonight’s game against USC (from David Hirx).
Hockey News: The Blues wear bedazzled warmups to honor a fan who died from cancer (from @mrmichael21). … Check out this story on a man who makes hockey jerseys out of chain mail (from Daren Landers). … The Rangers wore their Winter Classic helmets in practice. “They haven’t had just the word ‘Rangers’ on their helmets since 1996,” says A.J. Frey.
Basketball News: Reader Michael Romero points out that the Westchester Knicks, the Knicks’ G-League team, have an old-school Knicks logo on their court. … Michigan State wore throwback unis representing the university’s name in the early 1900s, Michigan Agricultural College.
Soccer News: Our own Jamie Rathjen passed along new information on the NWSL team that is moving to Utah from Kansas City. They will “wear yellow shirts, which makes them the first team in the league not to have blue, red, or the color of their city’s MLS team”. … Here’s a follow-up from a story a while back: The mayor of Montpelier, Vt., thanked the French soccer team Montpellier HSC for sending the team’s misspelled jerseys (from David Pottel). … A rare reversal of the corporate naming trend: Cambridge United’s stadium is going back to being called the Abbey (from The Boot Room). … Remember designer Mark Willis? He’s the guy behind the Soccer Out of Context project, and he was interviewed here on Uni Watch back in 2013. Unhappy with Nike and the U.S. soccer federation, he has now created his own USMNT jersey, which he’s calling “The People’s Jersey.” More info here, and you can pre-order the jersey here.
Happy birthday to Ticker intern Anthony Emerson. Enjoy your special day, buddy!
Nice piece
I see what you did there
…rather, I see what you didn’t do there
My ticker item: The NWSL team is moving *from* KC *to* Utah, not to KC.
Happy birthday, Anthony!
Fixed.
Neat story on the chain mail jerseys. I can’t imagine wearing something so heavy for a whole game though!
Would be cool to see the Golden Knights go that route!
In the Soccer News, the NWSL team is moving from KC to Salt Lake. And I think yellow is part of the Real Salt Lake color scheme.
Sorry, you had fixed this before I posted and it all refreshed.
My original wording was “to have blue, red, or the color of their city’s MLS team *as their primary color*,” because I know yellow is an RSL accent color.
Other notable team location soccer news with MLS, the league announces the 4 expansion finalists for next 2 expansion spots. It is Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville and Sacramento. This story provides explanation of how the next expansion application round will go down for the final 2 spots. Elaborates on MLS plan of how they will get to 28 teams.
link
Thanks for the link. I don’t find the sport the least bit interesting, but as a uniform/logo enthusiast I’m always interested in the new MLS franchises, especially since they switched to more European naming conventions, its an interesting change of pace from the big four over here.
I don’t think I ever realized how many players even used the generational suffixes — especially “Sr.” which isn’t even part of a guy’s name (whereas “Jr.” may actually be on the birth certificate). If it’s gonna have it on the jersey tho I’d say just let the player choose. I say let them choose because if it’s part of their “name” there’s bound to be variance in how they write it. E.g., my dad is named after his dad and his goes “First Mid Last II” — no comma between “Last” and “II” whereas lots of ppl do “Firs Mid Last, II.”
But I’m with you. I wouldn’t put generational suffixes on the NOB to begin with. The NOB is the last name. A generational suffix is just that — it’s not part of the last name. Odell Beckham Jr. won’t name his son “Paul Beckham Jr.”
Agreed. I have a suffix. I don’t use it professionally, or on my driver’s license, or really anywhere. It might have turned up on one or two diplomas. But it is not my last name. All of the men I was named for have passed on, so there’s no need to distinguish myself, even within my family. It wasn’t an issue for people as recently as Cal Ripken and Ken Griffey, both of whom had fathers in their sport. Not sure why this became a thing but it spiraled out of control.
Hell, Junior Griffey played alongside his dad, and they didn’t go with suffixes.
Players adding “Sr.” because of their newborns, though, is just bizarre to me. It would seem to me that the only reason for a senior to use a suffix is if they’re somehow playing at the same time as their son (e.g. the Griffeys), which is extremely unlikely in the NFL.
The usual justification (“usual” for a practice that came into existence five years ago) is that including the suffix honors the player’s father or paternal grandfather. Now, as a matter of objective fact, that is not true. The father’s name by definition does not include the same suffix. And anyway, given general American naming practices, every player’s surname pays exactly the same level of honor to his father or paternal grandfather.
But more importantly, as a moral matter, the practice is obscene. Assume for the sake of argument that the suffix really does pay special tribute to one’s father. In that case, the player is asserting a special unearned privilege. John Doe Jr can honor his father by putting Doe Jr on the back of his jersey, whereas his sister Jane Doe cannot honor their father (and neither can their brother Guðmundur Doe). John Junior has access to this special privilege through no merit of his own, simply by dint of the luck of inheritance and the choices of his ancestors. So the suffix is, morally, equivalent to a title of nobility. The jersey might as well say Archduke of Habsburg-Lothringen as Doe Jr. There are societies whose values condone or even encourage inherited aristocracy and the perpetuation of unearned special privileges, but ours is not one of them.
Also, the “honor my father” thing is unavailable to anyone, including the Jr’s and III’s of the world, who would wish to so honor their mothers and maternal grandparents of either gender. Again, the arbitrary unfairness of the thing offends decent values.
One way that some people honor their mother is by using a hyphenated surname, thus including both their mother’s and their father’s last names. So it would not quite be accurate to say that the ability to honor one’s mother is unavailable to players.
Wasn’t Washington supposed to wear mono-yellow?
Had already been reported earlier in the week that that wouldn’t be happening.
While their ‘official’ Color Rash jersey is yellow, there was never a chance that they’d wear them in this week’s game.
If they ever do wear them, it reportedly will not be by choice.
Lee
Also, I’m not sure how this is treated generally in othe sports, but maybe the most famous “Junior” in any sport is Ken Griffey (and his dad may be the most famous “Sr”) and as far as I can tell Junior didn’t have “JR” on his NOB. And per this photo (link below) even when they were both on the Mariners there was no “JR” or “SR” on the NOB.
link
For whatever bizarre reason, when I click on the link, it downloads the image rather than opening it up in the browser.
Most famous JR/SR’s…might be Earnhardts?
Paul, I completely agree that generational suffixes do not belong on the back of jerseys. To me, the back is for last names only. I’m a huge Ohio State fan, and almost every Buckeye fan I know refers to Ted Ginn as Ted Ginn Jr. Yet, I prefer to see just “Ginn”.
FWIW, I prefer no period for generational NOBs because it is a cleaner look.
Also, while I’m sure that this is NOT the reason for it, I do note that the British (in Hart’s Rules) suggest that “contractions”, or abbreviations which include the first and last letter of the word, should not get a period, while other abbreviations should. For example, “Mister” becomes “Mr”, while “Captain” becomes “Capt.” with a period.
More generally though, British rules of style (e.g. as used by the BBC) seem to be doing away with periods in abbreviations regardless of whether they are contractions or not.
ed
I try and adhere to this. But I eliminated all periods except to end a sentence or to form an ellipsis. I never understood why the British don’t capitalize every letter in an acronym though – Nato and Fifa don’t look right to my American eyes.
“I never understood why the British don’t capitalize every letter in an acronym though – Nato and Fifa don’t look right to my American eyes.”
I think the logic behind this is that they do that when the acronym is to be pronounced as a word, and not letter-by-letter.
It looks funny, but then again, “scuba” and “laser” come from acronyms but we pronounce them as words and they look normal enough with lowercase “word” spellings.
That’s interesting — wasn’t aware of those British style conventions.
“Andrew Gordon did a little math, and figured out that 15 of the 32 NFL teams (47%) have the team name on the front of their jerseys.”
Should be 15 1/2 because the Cowboys wear their team name on the blue jerseys but not the white jerseys.
link
link
Also interesting that he didn’t count the Jets, who do wear their name on the front of their jersey, just not in the same location as the other 15.
By that argument you could add the Steelers, who have their logo in the same spot as the Jets (and have been doing it since 1997, one season longer than the Jets have).
How many teams don’t do generational suffixes at all?
I’m not aware of any team have a no-suffix policy. It has more to do with (a) whether you have any Juniors and/or Seniors on the roster, and (b) whether those players want to have the suffix as part of their NOB.
The Steelers haven’t put first initials on jerseys since they started NOBs after the merger. They also haven’t done any suffixes. I’ve never seen anyone from the club discuss it, so I can’t say for sure it’s policy, but that’s my guess.
Naming Wrongs stickers would be great!!!
^^^^^
That Stanford helmet would look much better if the tape was cut. According to the picture in the link they aren’t consistent with that “small” detail. link
My guess is that the Lions omitted the period for retail purposes. They had it up until last year’s preseason, but when buying custom jerseys from NFL shop/fanatics, they would tell you that they couldn’t include the period because it’s a “special character”. I’m guessing this was a move done to keep the customers happy and make the On-Field product closer to the retail product. Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case for all teams without.
This is both fascinating and depressing.
Hot take: enough with the Jr’s/Sr’s/III’s/etc. Get rid of em. I blame RGIII for starting it because of he felt it was necessary because he was so well known as “Robert Griffin the 3rd” or “RGIII”.
But “Griffey Junior” got alone just fine with everyone calling him either that or his full “Ken Griffey Junior” with just “Griffey” on the back of his jersey. My guess is that RGIII would still be known by most people as RGIII in casual conversation if he had just “Griffin” as his NOB.
He could’ve also just gone with 3 as his preferred jersey number.
Last name only on back. LNOOB. No first name, no first initial, no Jr./Sr./III. The players have numbers. We can tell which Smith is which.
Completely agree. They added numbers a thousand years ago so we could distinguish the players. Even the name isn’t *really* needed.
That’s what your Program is for! ;^)
I agree for the most part, although if your team has two guys named Smith, it makes sense to add the first initial.
Maybe this is common knowledge for People Who Get It, but one of the innovations of the old AFL was to add names to jerseys, probably realizing that it made the game more TV-friendly. And even before the XFL, they were allowing nicknames to be used, like the famous WAHOO worn by future pro wrestling legend Wahoo McDaniel of the Jets…
one of the innovations of the old AFL was to add names to jerseys
The innovation should actually be credited to the White Sox, who pioneered NOBs. The AFL followed their lead.
Though the New York Americans tried it first. link
I wistfully recall in the early 70’s Jack and Jim Youngblood (unrelated) on the Rams being FNOB, LNOB, with Merlin and Phil Olsen (brothers) being M. Olsen and P. Olsen.
No room for honorifics or other nonsense on uniforms. Look at how stupid “Bradley Jr.” looks on that player’s jersey; it makes no more sense than adding “Mr.”
It would actually be sort of funny to see “Mr. Bradley” on the back of a jersey.
Steve Young earned a Law degree while still actively playing football, he should have gone with “Young, JD” or Young, Esq.” as his NOB.
A real lawyer does not but laugh at anyone who utilizes the “JD” suffix following their name.
I’m on the no period team, seems cleaner. But only if we HAVE to put these stupid suffixes.
As others here have noted, the most famous Junior, Ken Griffey, who’s dad actually played, and at the same time as him, and on the same team, didn’t feel the need for this suffix nonsense.
Feels like a cheap attention grab, something to stand out from the crowd a little bit more.
Adding JR or SR seems like a way for most players to acknowledge their fathers or sons of the same name, which while understandable in terms of emotional exuberance, doesn’t quite fit with my understanding of why names are on jerseys—for player identification. Unless their father or son is on the team, it seems pedantic and for its own sake.
This reminds me of players who are on the same team and share a surname. The Sedin brothers pop into mind, but occasionally you’ll get non-related folks who happen to have the same last name. Is it good practice to add a first letter (or two, in the event that the first letter of their given names is the same) prior to their surname?
I’ve always liked it because when watching a game I may know that both players exist, but I don’t know which is which, so the number itself doesn’t actually help me identify the player.
But, in this case, does the period belong? Should it be H SEDIN or H. SEDIN?
The period looks way better to me, and I think I’d have to be consistent with JR. or JR when it comes to titles.
So, JR or SR doesn’t belong in the NOB, but if it’s going to be there, then the period should be there, too.
Given the extent to which sports culture like to pattern itself after the military, it’s worth noting that U.S. soldiers wear nameplates on the front of their uniforms:
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Does anyone know if these nameplates ever include Jr. or Sr.? I suspect they don’t, but I’m no expert on military unis.
From my Military experience, it’s only last name on the tape. The bible of how to wear an Army Uniform, is AR670-1. The nameplate is covered in DA PAM 670-1. Per the regulation for the Army for nameplates and nametapes:
The nameplate is a black, laminated plastic plate, 1 inch by 3 inches, 1/16 inch thick, with a white border not to exceed 1/32 inch in width. Lettering is block type, indented white lettering, 3/8 inch in height, and centered on the plate. Only last names are used on the nameplates. No punctuation symbols, or special characters are authorized. Gloss or nongloss finish is authorized on the nameplate
Nametapes
For the combat utility uniforms and applicable ECWCS jackets, the insignia is a 5 inch hook-and loop-faced pad with the individual’s last name in black block letters sewn on a camouflaged pattern tape to match the uniform. The nametape is worn above the wearer’s right breast pocket above chest pocket flap. The letters are 3/4 inch high and 1/2 inch wide. No punctuation, symbols, or special characters are authorized on the nametape. (Last names consisting of 11 letters or more are constructed using Franklin gothic extra-condensed print (48 point), 1/2 inch high.)
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By the way, I’m sure there are similar publications for Navy, AF, Marines, Coast Guard. I’m former Army so that’s what I looked up.
Good info, Tim — thanks!
Regardless of whether or not they include a period, I can’t stand the suffixes, especially the SR. It’s only made worse when announcers use them during games…”What a great catch by Steve Smith SR!”…BLECCHH!
”What a great catch by Steve Smith SR!”…BLECCHH!
Even worse when they just do the surname and the suffix: “Great catch by Smith Sr.” Drives me nuts.
Or they just use the athlete’s first name… “What a great throw by Eli!” Not that we’ve heard that much this year. Brent Musburger is a main perpetrator of this with college football and most of the Sunday “talent” does it as well. It drives me nuts.
How would Junior Seau’s jersey look today? JR. Seau, JR Seau, Seau JR, Seau JR. ?
Seau
Junior is his first name unless there’s another Seau then it’s J Seau.
Junior is not his first name.. but it was
What if former Pro Bowl linebacker E.J. Junior had an an E.J. Junior, Jr.? Would it be E.J. Junior, Sr. and E.J. Junior, Jr.? And how would each of them want it on their nameplate?
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And what if Junior, Jr.’s brother Edward Jackson Junior played on the same team??
What if Tuesday Weld and Fredric March Jr. had a daughter? Could her name have been pronounced “Tuesday March the Third”? :)
If Junior Seau had a brother Jack, and they were on the same team, would the team go with
JA Seau and JR Seau JR ? asking for a friend.
I like that the G-League team is using the old Knicks logos, but they totally obscure the free throw lines! I don’t like the new trend in court design, where all this superfluous stuff makes it harder to see all the lines on the court.
The free throw line is transparent against the Knicks logo in Westchester, but it’s not as bad as it was in the original Boston Garden, where all the lines were invisible against the parquet flooring; it was like only the players had to know when they stepped out of bounds, etc. The problem was solved somewhat when the free throw areas were painted in, then when the leprechaun logo was added to the center circle.
I’m addicted to the NHL uniform showdown site! But I’ve just run into a dilemma… my two choices are the CALIFORNIA GOLDEN SEALS vs. the CLEVELAND BARONS! My team(s)!!! I may have to just log off the site and come back on to get a different showdown…
-Jet
Was it Charlie O’s green and gold Seals, or Swig’s shoulder-loop Seals? And what would happen if you had to vote between those two?
(I’d tend to lean in favor of the shoulder loops, just because they’re so unique.)
Oops,forgot to mention Rob,it was the Finley Seals… and what did I do… I voted for the Seals…
but for me it was the equivalent of a Gordian Knot!
If I had to vote between Finley and Swig, I’d go with Finley. The teal (Pacific Blue) was too much on the road uniforms with the pants also that color – I think they wouldn’t have looked so fruity if they used black pants a la the SJ Sharks…
-Jet
Also, for me, the best element of the Barons’ uniforms were only there for one season – the Ohio state outline patches on the sleeves which contained the uniform numbers. Cutting those out for 77-78 (in what was almost certainly a cost-cutting move) was just disappointing.
That’s an element I’d like to see the Blue Jackets bring back, even if it’s just for an alternate.
The Barons started the 76-77 season without the Ohio sleeves..added them
“I know your name is Ted Ginn. And don’t call me Junior.”
~ Dr. Rumack
According to Gridiron Uni Database, 5 teams will be going with mono-color this week: Bills, Redskins, Chargers, Seahawks, Titans. When was the last time this many teams went mono?
Wow, reading through the comments, I guess I’m in the minority here. I really like generational suffixes on jerseys. I think that may, in part, be due to the fact that I’m a junior. It’s on my birth certificate and driver’s license and I use it professionally and casually. I’ve always been excited to see other “juniors” use the “Jr.” on their jerseys. I feel like it’s a cool way for players to distinguish themselves from and/or pay respect to their father, plus it makes for a unique NOB. Didn’t realize so many people were adamantly against it!
I wouldn’t call myself “adamantly’ against, but as far as just being a football fan and viewer, it simply isn’t needed. It adds no relevant information to the game that makes it better for me.
But again, it’s about #117 on the list of things I’d change if I was in charge.
Lee
I’m not adamantly against it either, just a little annoyed. To distinguish father and son on the same team? Okay. To respect your father or show pride that you have a son? I understand but don’t really agree. To market your brand? Forget it.
What bothers me more is when announcers and graphics use “Junior” and “Senior” and “Jr.” and “Sr.” as though they are part of the the player’s last name. They are part of the player’s full name and but not the last name. The should be used to avoid confusion and avoided otherwise. That’s my rant.
How many of the players sporting suffixes have any need, at the time and place in which they’re wearing the uniform of their professional sports team, to distinguish themselves from their fathers? In the long history of professional sports, there’ve been about a half dozen instances, ever, in which that has been even potentially an issue. An issue easily resolved by the inclusion of large numbers beneath each man’s name.
More common is the instance of siblings. And while siblings do, occasionally, need to be distinguished, that can also be accomplished by having players wear numbers. And it also highlights the absurdity of claiming that using the suffix honors the father. By what possible moral standard is it OK to tell Dominique Barber that he cannot honor his father, Marion Bradshaw Jr, on his uniform, but to tell Dominique’s brother Marion Bradshaw III that he can honor their father?
If we take the “pay tribute” thing seriously – and we shouldn’t, because it’s obviously absurd – we get deep into some ugly Esau/Jacob business pretty quickly. Best to leave the suffix off and include the information necessary to let fans and referees know who is who on the field of play: Surname and number.
My two cents for the suffix debate. I’m not a fan of using it on a uni unless the player really prefers it and also uses the suffix on all his legal documents including when he signs his name. I share the same name with my dad but my mom thought being called “Jr” all the time would lead to kids teasing me so they decided to keep junior off my birth certificate. So while I guess technically I’m a junior, legally I am not and I’ve never referred to or thought of myself as a junior. Interestingly when I was still living at home as a young man sharing a name with my dad became confusing for mail purposes so he began using Sr on some documents as a suffix to avoid confusion.
Just bought a sheet of the stickers…looking forward to getting them and putting them on various stuff. Even at 55 I’m still like a kid when it comes to getting stickers.
The generational suffix thing seems to be something of a black cultural phenomenon. As a pasty white guy, I’m going to withhold comment.
“Jr. The abbreviation of “junior,” used very often with a comma after appropriate names (“Adam Arkin, Jr.”), but it’s never acceptable as an independent element in a sentence.”
Excerpt From: Barbara Ann Kipfer. “21st Century Grammar Handbook.” iBooks.
“Titles that follow names are usually set off by commas: “Samantha Smith, Ph.D.,” “Eliot Ness, Jr.” Numerals following a name and titles before names do not need commas: “Dr. Jane Hart,” “King George III.”
Excerpt From: Barbara Ann Kipfer. “21st Century Grammar Handbook.” iBooks.
“Juniors sometimes go by their first initials and “J” for Jr., regardless of middle initial. Examples include American football players Terrell Ray Ward, Jr. (who goes by T.J. Ward) and Erick R. Manuel, Jr., who is better known as E.J. Manuel.”
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As a previous commenter said, British/Commonwealth rules and USA rules differ. I have several different English/Grammar handbooks published recently and they seem to have conflicting advice/rules for the suffixes. I teach English in Hong Kong. Some of the schools want American English taught. Other schools want Commonwealth English taught. So it is hard for me to keep the rules straight at times.
Maybe it is just me, but the Lions’ blue looks much brighter and more vibrant in the picture vs the Saints compared to the next one vs the Panthers. Is it something with the lighting at the stadium or possibly just the camera / image type?
The Rangers have their primary logo on their usual helmets…and that logo has the word “RANGERS” on it so…
If you go back and look at what AJ said, you’ll see that he said they “haven’t had JUST the word ‘Rangers'” (emphasis added).
The Rangers do not have their primary shield logo on their usual helmets:
link
They did have the primary shield logo only on the navy helmets for their last set of third uniforms.
Has been “NYR” on the helmets since 1996-97. Though I do think the primary shield logo would be a good addition to the helmets instead of “NYR”.
The Dallas Cowboys have the team name on the front of their navy jersey but not their white. (In your NFL ticker section) That would bring the total number of teams who have their team name on their jersey front to 15 1/2?
My 2c: if a person uses “Jr” or “Sr” or “III” as part of their name, its part of their name. Full stup. It should be on their jersey, trading card, page on the team website, really wherever they’re referred to.
Would you ever have this conversation with a person:
“Hi, my name is Odell Beckham Jr.”
“That’s stupid. I’m going to call you Odell Beckham.”
“Hi, my name is Robert Griffin the Third.”
“That’s stupid. I’m going to call you Bob Griffin”
“Hi, my name is Muhammad Ali”
“That’s stupid. I’m going to call you Cassius”
Isn’t that what many are saying here?
People get to name themselves. This shouldn’t be a hard concept. Sportscasters or team executives don’t get to name players. Fans don’t get to name players. Fans don’t get to declare players names or parts of players names stupid.
Totally agree. But there’s a difference between what you call yourself (that’s totally up to you) and what appears on your NOB (that’s determined by a system of rules and classifications). Your NOB is supposed to be your surname. Odell Beckham Jr.’s surname is not “Beckham Jr.”; it is “Beckham.”
This is not about personal expression or identity; it’s about nomenclature and classification.
To put it another way: Remember when Chad Johnson — back when that was still his name — wore an “Ochocinco” nameplate? He was fined, and rightly so, because that wasn’t his name. But then he legally changed his name to Chad Ochocinco (as is his right, and I fully defend that right), so then he could wear Ochocinco.
Moral of the story: You can call yourself whatever you like, but your NOB can’t necessarily be whatever you want it to be.
Just FTR, Chad changed his name back to Johnson from Ochocinco in 2012.
I’m going to disagree. Looking at the history of NOB’s, it started essentially as a gimmick by circus ringmaster Bill Veeck. It didn’t take long for some teams to try and put nicknames on their jerseys.
Given the oft silly and impractical history of the NOB, I don’t think there’s a necessary relationship between the NOB and the surname alone. The NOB is an identifier and especially given the way broadcasters and media like to use suffixes as identifiers it doesn’t quite cross the line into absurdity like “He Hate Me” or “Ochocinco.”
Agreed Paul.
If the basis of your argument is that the Jr or Sr is not part of a person’s surname, then I’m with you.
I take issue with the people who disagree with what a person actually calls themselves (and there are a few in the comments in today’s post. You can argue that Griffey Jr isn’t a surname, but you can’t argue someone calling themselves Jr or Sr is weird and shouldn’t be encouraged.
I seem to recall that we had a similar discussion about diacriticals. If a person has a diacritical in their name, its part of their name, and its not for me to say “your name is Ordonez, not Ordóñez”.
I apologize for getting worked up over this. As children of immigrants with a difficult name I have little tolerance for any form of a person being told “your name is”.
“This is probably the smallest detail I’ve ever been obsessed with…”
C’mon, Paul. You know that’s not nearly true. You’ve been doing this site for years. This is no smaller than, for example, the Pedro Porthole or any other number of topics you’ve covered.
I dunno. A period is pretty small!
This was the smallest
link
Touché.
Call me weird but I find naming your kid after yourself is kinda creepy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯