November 1st is National Jersey Friday #JerseyFriday and I thought I would share a fun fact about me. I may be the only person on the planet that has never had a #jersey. As for David I can’t say if he has had a Jersey or not.
Even though when Charlie was in public school they would do outfits for certain days and one of the days during Drug Awareness Week was Jersey Day. I did look for a jersey a time or two but Charlie said they was to expensive to purchase for something he would only wear once.
I agreed with Charlie who had a #Cowboys jersey when he was a baby that my nephew David bought him for Christmas. Now Charlie has two hoodies with his favorite #Basketball players and still no, jersey. What about you. Do you have a jersey? If so for which team and which player?
National Jersey Day occurs every first Friday in November, making the #Holiday fall on November 1th this year. To the delight of sports fans around the Country who get to wear the jerseys of their favorite sports personalities.
People of all ages can cheer for their favorite teams together and organize special sporting activities where heated arguments about past games and events will ensue. This Friday will unearth rivalries yet bring unity. And it goes beyond soccer.
Every other team sport that requires jersey uniforms is included in the fun and of course any lover of sports can join in the common camaraderie to observe National Jersey Friday and proudly wear their jerseys.
Did you know the term ‘jersey’ comes from the Island of Jersey in the English Channel where natives have a long tradition of knitting, and the earliest sports clothing was made The first gymnasts were from Germany. These gymnasts wore grey linen uniforms at first, but by the 1890s, cotton shirts became more common. When team sports emerged with the need to tell players apart, their shirts were dyed in many different colors, and symbols and numbers were sewn on.
At the 1896 Olympics, athletes from the same Nation wore different clothes to compete. By the 1908 London Games, uniform clothing regulations were put in place for all competitors, and the word ‘jersey’ was mentioned for the first time in a sportswear context.
Did you know the first sports jerseys were made with cotton or wool fabrics before synthetic versions like nylon and Lycra came about in the ’30s. The first synthetic jerseys were quite uncomfortable, yet by the ’70s, synthetic jerseys were the most popular and seen as perfect for sports.
Not until 1970 did sports teams begin to create a strong identity for themselves and take the idea of commercializing their shirts seriously, starting from when English football team Leeds United became the first to design shirts that could be sold to fans as replicas in 1975.
Moved by the success, other clubs followed suit, adding manufacturers’ logos and a higher trim level to their shirt designs. Jerseys became even more mainstream when German team Eintracht Braunschweig became the first to sign a deal to display a sponsor’s logo on the front of their shirts.
By the ’80s and ’90s, almost all major clubs had signed such deals, increasing the value of sponsorships, especially for larger teams. In the U.S., the North American Soccer League was the first to experiment with printing the players’ names on their shirts and assigning each player a squad number.
National Jersey Day was started by the National Football League Players Association, to bring fans together, and build a sense of community through the uniforms of their sports teams. Wear the jersey of your favorite sports player to observe National Jersey Friday today. Wear the jersey to work, school, restaurants, and or even around your home.
National Jersey Day Activities
- How else can you put your fandom on display this National Jersey Friday but by celebrating proudly wearing your favorite player’s jersey throughout the day! If you ever get bored of wearing one, pick another one and wear that too.
- Share an image of yourself in your team’s jersey online for the world to see and don’t take just one photo take hundreds of selfies and select the best of them to share.
- Social media is where bants happen when it comes to sports. Go in and be brutal. Post about your team and profess your undying love for them. Use #JerseyFriday while you’re at it to track conversations around National Jersey Friday.
Facts About Jerseys
- The use of the word ‘jersey’ to refer to sports uniforms came from the Island that invented the knitting style, but the Island itself is named after a British breed of small dairy Cattle called the Jersey, which has been pure-bred since the 1500s.
- The soccer player’s jersey numbers usually correlate with his/her position on the field.
- In the early 1900s, player numbers were sewn on by hand.
- Even though competitive sports have always existed, the return of the Olympics in 1896 created an interest in functional sportswear that led to the discovery of jerseys.
- According to popular sporting goods retailer, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dallas Cowboys’ star quarterback Dak Prescott has the best-selling jersey, edging out New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Why People Love National Jersey Day
National Jersey Friday wouldn’t be so fun without the presence of fellow fans of the sports and players we love a allowing us to get together to make new friends with a connection as powerful as sport
National Jersey Friday celebrates our love for our favorite sports team and on National Jersey Day we bask in the glory of sports and unite for it. We wear our favorite team jerseys, gift them to friends, and more.
We ignite good old banter of rivalries for old tradition’s sake on National Jersey Friday which is no doubt a day we love because of the bants.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
