# No names on SF Giants home jerseys? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 2, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249 "2010-11-02T20:54:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/1 "2010-11-02T20:54:02Z")
During the World Series it appeared that the San Francisco Giants road jerseys featured the players’ last names but not so on the home jerseys, just the numbers. Is this perception correct? Does this home-no, road-yes naming convention also apply to the regular season? I’m trying to buy a Giants home jersey and don’t want to screw it up by having a name sewn on it if that’s not how it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/2 "2010-11-02T21:10:02Z")
Yup, no names on the home jerseys. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/3 "2010-11-02T21:16:34Z")
I can’t recall - are the Yankees the only other time to do this? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/4 "2010-11-02T21:23:00Z")
I always thought of it as your home fans should know they names of their team but the away fans would have no idea who was who. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/5 "2010-11-02T21:25:00Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I can’t recall - are the Yankees the only other time to do this? I think the Red Sox do it too. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/6 "2010-11-02T21:37:09Z")
As said, the Giants, Yankees and Red Sox are the three teams in MLB without players’ names on their home jersey. The Yankees are the only team without names on their road uniform as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/7 "2010-11-02T21:44:04Z")
> [@Intelligently\_Designed](#): > > …The Yankees are the only team without names on their road uniform as well. This is great because you don’t have to buy a new jersey when your favorite player moves onto a new team. I have a #12 jersey when Soriano played 2nd base. If it had his name on the back, I would look a bit silly if I wore it to the ballpark, especially when the Yankees play the Cubs in the WS one of these years. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/8 "2010-11-02T21:46:42Z")
I remember when the Cubs put names on their home jersey (1993) there was some hand-wringing that it meant the Cubs were losing some of the fuzzy-wuzzy lovable fan-friendly mystique. True-blue Cubs fans have the roster memorized, you know, and shouldn’t need a nametag to tell the players apart. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/9 "2010-11-02T21:50:49Z")
By the way, in the old days, some teams were reluctant to put names on the players’ jerseys because they feared it would decrease the sale of programs. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/10 "2010-11-02T23:07:27Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > This is great because you don’t have to buy a new jersey when your favorite player moves onto a new team. Except of course most Yankees fans buy jerseys [with the names on the back](http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3401076&cp=1485905.1984691). ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/11 "2010-11-02T23:10:53Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > Except of course most Yankees fans buy jerseys [with the names on the back](http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3401076&cp=1485905.1984691). Yikes! exactly what I was trying to avoid ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/12 "2010-11-02T23:12:18Z")
Moving to the Game Room from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/13 "2010-11-02T23:26:35Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > Except of course most Yankees fans buy jerseys [with the names on the back](http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3401076&cp=1485905.1984691). For some reason, the [jersey without a name](http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3438522&cp=1485905.1984691.1984692) is more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/14 "2010-11-02T23:53:10Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > For some reason, the [jersey without a name](http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3438522&cp=1485905.1984691.1984692) is more expensive. That’s an ‘authentic’ jersey: > [@](#): > > The classic Authentic On-Field jersey is designed with all the rigors of on-field use in mind. When you wear this jersey, you can trust that you are wearing the same design worn by the pros. From the durable double-knit fabric and authentic MLB decoration down to the detail of the authentic locker tag, you are wearing the original. While the Jeter one is a ‘replica’, without the features listed above. In other words, a shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/15 "2010-11-03T00:02:38Z")
NFL rules mandate names on jerseys , I think NBA and NHL also require them - or maybe every team has names even without them being required. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/16 "2010-11-03T04:09:54Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > NFL rules mandate names on jerseys Yup. The AFL introduced jersey names, and the NFL adopted the practice when the two leagues merged in 1970. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/17 "2010-11-03T04:29:46Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > I remember when the Cubs put names on their home jersey (1993) there was some hand-wringing that it meant the Cubs were losing some of the fuzzy-wuzzy lovable fan-friendly mystique. True-blue Cubs fans have the roster memorized, you know, and shouldn’t need a nametag to tell the players apart. Many of us are still bitter about it too. When you are a team as old as the Cubs and play in a park as old as Wrigley I think going the high-minded old fashioned route is pretty well justified. I’m sure it’s all about selling jerseys, they want fans buying Marmol jerseys when Woody gets traded and Byrd jerseys when Lee gets traded. And no, I’m not just bitter because I have an authentic Prior jersey hanging in my closet. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/18 "2010-11-03T06:48:52Z")
It’s all about the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/19 "2010-11-03T14:10:13Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > It’s all about the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. Yup. We root for the laundry, not the player. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-names-on-sf-giants-home-jerseys/559249/20 "2010-11-03T22:38:03Z")
The NHL mandated names on jerseys back in the mid-70s. Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard notoriously refused to comply, citing a potential drop in program sales. After being threatened with a heavy fine, he backed down, but put letters the same color as the jersey (white on white, blue on blue), making names unreadable. Then he was fined and eventually complied. Today you can see jerseys without names when teams are wearing [vintage uniforms](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0RfdEyFXFc).