By: Carl Coulanges
Once an athlete retires, the conversation begins about jersey retirement. What qualifies a player to get their jersey retired ? The ownership ultimately decides which number earns the honor. The completley subjective nod has a few guidelines which teams should consider before allowing the number raised.
I.) Years of Service
Consider it 4 years of high school or college. A 4 year run with a team should be the minimum requirement to even be considered. Now one can argue, what if the player dominated for 3 years or less? There’s always exceptions to the rule and you can evaluate as needed.
II.) The Fan Favorite
You may not have the best statistics, you may not be the face of the team, but the fans appreciate you. The fans develop a chant personally for you. The constant adoration from the people who pay to see you play. We understand who the fan favorite player is on your team. Typically the key ROLE player.
III) The Franchise Player
Clearly your top guy is a shoe in right ? Leads in box score, does all the interviews, top selling merchandise seller, the max deal, leads you to championships, loyal to the franchise, and plays a major role in the community. This is the Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan of your team. Without question deserved to have jersey retired.
IV) On The Fence Players
You leave the team on bad terms, or your stats and contributions to the team are boarder line. Sometimes, the franchise holds out on retiring players who may or may not deserve it. The owners can be petty and not want to give the honor because of feelings and/or personal reasons. At the end of the day, owners make the decision.
Jersey retirements are a special honor for the player and a great moment for for fans. I had the privilege and honor of attending 2 jersey retirements in my lifetime ( Paul Pierce in 2018 & Kevin Garnett in 2022). Both to me were emotional, yet satisfying. Teams should always pay homage to players who deserve it regardless of personal issues.
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