So it’s a Sunday morning during the fall and I am getting the boys dressed for the day. Of course there is little or no chance their outfits look good or match, but to me that matters little on a Sunday when there is football to be watched.
Like most little boys they have a number of different player jerseys that their Dad has gotten them over the years.
For some reason today, I paused when I was getting them dressed. My initial thought was: “Would it be a Drew Bledsoe, Adam Vinatieri or Ty Law shirt?” And then I thought about it and realized that all of those players are still in the NFL but don’t play for the team we have the shirt for!
Welcome to the reality of sports where the almighty dollar wins out 99% of the time.
- What happened to the old days when players ONLY played for one team in their career?
- What happened to the name on the front of the shirt meaning more than the name on the back?
- What happened to the days where you could spend $75 on a shirt and you could keep it for more than two seasons without the player leaving the team?
Well the holidays are right around the corner and I thought it would be interesting to identify a handful of players that SHOULD be playing with their current team for at least the next five years. This way it may help you in not making the same foolish mistake I have made and waste money on shirts that have little or no meaning.
- Peyton Manning – (18) QB for the Indianapolis Colts. Yes he will be 35 in five more years but I believe he is a loyal guy and will retire a Colt. Not that this matters in football but his current contract goes until 2011.
- Albert Pujols – (5) First Base for the St Louis Cardinals. He is the real deal and will be with the Cardinals for many years to come
- Dirk Nowitzki – (41) Forward for the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk is 28 and a 9 year veteran of the NBA. Mark Cuban is way too smart to let this guy get away anytime soon.
- Dwyane Wade – (3) Guard for the Miami Heat. The best is yet to come from him. This is a great market for this soft spoken star.
- Rick DiPietro – (39) Goalie for the New York Islanders. Yes, Rick is solid; yes, Rick is only 25; and yes he signed a massive contract that won’t allow the team to trade him.
Does it bother you that so many players jump teams so often?
What are your thoughts? What players do you think will be with their current team in 5 years?
Stephenie Gordon says:
My brother’s new girlfriend is a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. She showed up at our house a couple of Sunday’s ago wearing the #2 Eagles jersey. We all were preplexed on why someone would wear #2 and we were making fun of her for it. #2 is David Akers, the Kicker. Her response to our jabs was simple, “I am not a fair weather fan, I want to wear the jersey of someone who will be on the team for years to come. The only real choice is David Akers.” We made fun of her, but in actuality she made a real investment when she bought that jersey, and you have to be a true fan to wear #2…
Mike Matthews says:
Bother me? I’m a loyal Seattle Mariners fan…do you know how hard that can be now living in NY? Going to a Yankees game and watching Randy pitch or A-Rod strikeout
And watching Tino Martinez and Ken Griffey flee away! Ohh and don’t forget a “seemingly” loyal Mariner, John Olerud trading up his last remaining seasons to Boston. Bless my beloved Edgar Martinez.
If you want to keep me baseball, help me to stay loyal. You tore down the Kingdome b/c it was dangerous and thats fine (I’ve been enjoying the suishi rolls at Safeco) but do not change the Heinz 57 bottle and you’ve already learned your lesson on the “Classic” Coke incident. We want to develop our tradition for a comparitively young franchise…a consistent brand. Or am I wrong?
Robert Harrell says:
I would think Matt Leinart is a good candidate to still be in Arizona 5 years from now.
Of course, I probably just jinxed him like I did the NY Football Giants a few blogs ago.
Susan Hayes says:
Growing up across the street from #55, Chris Hanburger, of the Washingotn Redskins, I used to know all the names and numbers of 1970’s team. That’s not the case anymore.
I hope Urlacher will be another linebacker hero who stays with his original drafting team. Like the Bears linebackers before him, his attitude and work ethic defines the character of the team.
Janet Savoie says:
What bothers me is when players who want to play their career out with one team get traded or dropped because of the salary cap. Case in point is Steve Mcnair of the Titans. We lost him to the dreaded Ravens and he is making them a winning team. He was and still is a Nashville favorite. When the Ravens came to play a few weeks ago many Nashville fans wore their McNair jerseys from his Titan days. Vince Young is coming along nicely, but I miss Steve!!!
Brendan Sammon says:
Merrill, I know this will bother you but I am a lifelong Yankee fan. Derek Jeter is a player that I hope will always be a “Yankee”. My 2 kids get particularly bothered when a major sports star moves from 1 team to another like Johnny Damon did. We all spent years despising him and now we have him on our team. While the kids and I have grown to like him, I now get questions like, “Dad, do you think Jeter may jump ship someday?” or “will Marty Brodeur (NJ Devil’s goalie) go to the Rangers if they offer more money?”. I try to teach them to root for the uniform, but that is not always easy.
Jon Last says:
I think it was Jerry Seinfeld who said, that in sports these days, you really are just rooting for a shirt. So, if that’s true and your allegiances remain with a team, rather than specific players, why not consider what I did…buy a team jersey and put your own name and number on it.
I used to wear #27, so I bought my Houston Oilers jersey many years ago with #27 on it, and watched a bunch of non descript defensive backs wear it, until Eddie George came along and wore my number, which was nice until he was also unceremoniously dumped (like McNair to follow). Then the Oilers became the Titans, so I couldn’t even root for that shirt anymore. At least I like the Titans jersey. When will that change?