This is so trivial, I am not sure it belongs here, but I believe there is a definitive answer. I’m asking for any position in American football, not what other countries call football, just to be clear.
So, say I’m a top prospect for the pro league, and one of my requirements for a contract is I want double-zero on my jersey. Or, failing that, just zero. Is it allowed? For any position, your pick?
Maybe I should have chosen baseball instead, but what the heck, I will deal with one sport at a time.
In the NFL, unlike say Major League Baseball, player numbers are dictated by position played. See here for example: Player Numbers by Position
So your hypothetical top prospect would have to get the league to agree to his demand to have a number that isn’t even listed, let alone allowed for whatever position he plays. I don’t see that happening.
FTR, Laughing Lagomorph, you should know that there’s a typo in your sig. I’m pretty sure it should say “travel blog”, but it says “travel bog”–and for a few minutes I thought it said “travel bong”!
Well, OK, many thanks for educating me on this. I think I’ll wait a while before posting the same question about major league baseball, but **Laughing Lagomorph’s ** post kinda makes me wonder if such might be possible there.
The NFL generally adheres pretty tightly to those rules it has set up regarding numbers and positions - players can ask for waivers, but they are almost never granted.
Reggie Bush, for example, wanted to wear 5 like he had at USC. The NFL said no, so he chose 25. This article on Bush also mentions what it refers to as the only softening on the topic the NFL has done in recent years:
Early this decade, teams began to run short of numbers in the 80’s for receivers - in many cases because of retired numbers. In general, the league’s response to teams in this situation has been “Tough. Un-retire numbers if you have to, but Joe Receiver will wear a receiver’s number.” The NFL began allowing teams to assign receivers numbers in the 10-19 range if they were out of 80-89 numbers, including retirements.
None of that relates directly to the 0 or 00 question, but it suggests that the league would not be likely to grant an exception for somebody wanting one of them.
This article says that Jim Otto was the last NFL player to wear 00. It sounds like he adopted the number in 1961 while playing for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League, the league allowing him to take it because it was a pun on his name (aught-oh). The Raiders joined the NFL when the two leagues merged in 1970, and Otto was allowed to keep 00 until he retired after the 1972 season.
LeCharles Bentley asked permission from the NFL to wear 00 when he got to the Browns. They denied it. Of course, it’s not like anyone would know what number the guy wears in Cleveland…
Well, the NFL didn’t standardize uniform numbers until 1973 or so. Ken Burrough started playing in 1970. Guys like Burrough and Jim Otto, who were already wearing “00” may have been given a grandfather clause exemption.