Whats the story behind jersey numbers?
What’s in a name? Perhaps William Shakespeare’s Romeo had it right. A rose by any other name might still smell as sweet, but Jordan by any number but 23 would be one foul-smelling mistake. In sports, numbers hold limitless power. Above all, they are insurmountably practical. Coaches, referees, fans and other players all utilize jersey numbers for recognition. In the oh-so-glamorous world of sports, numbers are the name. Sorry, Romeo. Soccer traditionally assigned numbers based on a player’s position. Number one was for the goal keeper and numbers two through 11 were for the rest of the starting lineup, starting in the backfield and moving to the front. Higher numbers were for the substitutes. This numbering standard was initiated for the 1954 World Cup and remained until 1993. Junior communications major Danielle Holloway paid no mind to the old numbering system when picking her soccer jersey number. She said her number 10 jersey is a highly regarded number in her sport and it tends to
