Jersey (clothing) facts for kids

A jersey is a special kind of shirt often worn by members of a sports team. These shirts usually have the player's name and team number on them. Jerseys are made for many different sports, like cycling, ice hockey, basketball, and baseball. Sometimes, these jerseys even become popular fashion items!

What is a Sports Jersey?

In sports, a jersey is the main shirt a player wears as part of their uniform. It helps identify them as part of a team.

Different Kinds of Sports Jerseys

• Cycling jerseys: These are often made from special synthetic materials that help wick sweat away from the skin, keeping riders cool and dry. In cycling, different colored jerseys show who the leader is or who the champion is. For example, the maillot jaune (which means yellow jersey in French) is worn by the leader of the Tour de France race. The rainbow jersey is worn by the world champion in cycling. The World Cycling Union says that a champion must wear their special champion's jersey in a race, not just their team's regular jersey.
• Ice Hockey jerseys: These were traditionally called sweaters, but now they are usually known as hockey jerseys. They are often thick to go over protective gear.
• Basketball jerseys: These are usually sleeveless, which means they don't have sleeves. This helps players move freely and stay cool during games.
• Baseball jerseys: Many baseball jerseys button up the front.

The History of the Jersey

The word "jersey" comes from the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands. This island was very famous for its knitting trade a long time ago, in the Middle Ages. Because of this, the name "jersey" is still used for many types of knitted fabrics today.

Traditional jerseys, like the old guernsey sweaters, were often dyed a dark navy blue color. The special dye used didn't remove the natural oils from the wool. This made these sweaters surprisingly good at keeping water out! Sometimes, the wool was even passed through extra oil to make it even more water-resistant.

Retired Jerseys

In some sports, like baseball, basketball, and American football, a player's jersey can be "retired." This is a special way to honor a player for their amazing achievements. When a jersey is retired, it is usually put on display where the team plays, like in their stadium or arena.

In the past, retiring a jersey also meant that the number on that jersey could not be used by any future players. This was to show even more respect for the player. However, most jerseys have two-digit numbers (from 00 to 99), which means there are only 100 possible numbers. In some sports, like U.S. college basketball, there are even fewer numbers allowed (only 36 distinct numbers are possible because rules stop players from using digits higher than 5). Because of this, teams now usually only retire the specific jersey itself and put it on display, rather than stopping future players from using the number.

School Leavers' Jerseys

In countries like Australia and South Africa, and for year 13 students in New Zealand, it's common for students in their last year of school to get special personalized jerseys. These are often called "year jumpers" or "leavers' jumpers."

These jumpers are designed like sports jerseys, often similar to Australian Rules Football or Association Football jerseys. They usually feature the school's colors, the year the students graduate, and a personalized nickname for each student. Students often wear them over their normal school uniform. In Australia, some students now prefer to get hoodies, jackets, or baseball-style varsity jackets instead of the traditional jerseys for their last year of school.

Images for kids

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  A traditional knit jersey

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  A modern cycling jersey