# Pointless gripe: generational suffixes on sports uniforms **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 5, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433 "2019-12-05T22:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/21 "2019-12-06T19:39:44Z")
I can’t even imagine letting this bother me. > [@Spiderman](#): > > Can’t forget Jackie Robinson Day; let’s change _everyone_’s number to 42 & not put names on the back of the jersey. That sure makes it easy for the fans to know who’s who. :smack: Fucking asshole, Selig! I love Jackie Robinson Day, and the new tradition of everyone wearing 42. You don’t think that Twins fans don’t know the guy standing out in centerfield is Byron Buxton if his name isn’t on the uniform? It’s one day honoring one of the most important people to play the game. It originally started with each team assigning one player who got to wear 42, and there was so much demand from the players that they let everyone who wanted to do it. So we’re angry with players who show too much individuality AND players who show too little? > [@digs](#): > > So one game I annoyed my friends by yelling “Tate Eye-eye-eye’s got the ball! Look at Tate Eye-eye-eye run!” The good news is that you were aware that you were annoying them - I guess that’s a start. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/22 "2019-12-06T19:51:32Z")
At least there isn’t anyone in professional sports saddled with the last name He Hate Me anymore… ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/23 "2019-12-06T21:39:30Z")
> [@digs](#): > > So one game I annoyed my friends by yelling “Tate Eye-eye-eye’s got the ball! Look at Tate Eye-eye-eye run!” > [@Munch](#): > > The good news is that you were aware that you were annoying them - I guess that’s a start. Well, look at his username. He’s just getting in his digs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/24 "2019-12-06T22:44:22Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And unlike Ken Griffey Junior, most players aren’t referred to by the Junior or The Third. I’ve mostly heard Golden Tate called… Golden Tate. But his jersey reads TATE III (c’mon, dude, you’ve already got a colorful first name…). > > So one game I annoyed my friends by yelling “Tate Eye-eye-eye’s got the ball! Look at Tate Eye-eye-eye run!” I was more bothered by him having the nickname “Showtime”. For crying out loud, your real name is literally “Golden”, you are the last person to need a nickname. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/25 "2019-12-06T22:56:58Z")
[Sometimes there are unrelated players with the same first & last names.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9800741) ---
**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:** [December 6, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/26 "2019-12-06T23:44:23Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Sometimes there are unrelated players with the same first & last names.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9800741) And then there’s [Cameron Jordan and Jordan Cameron](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/saints-cameron-jordan-tells-the-most-browns-story-ever-involving-a-draft-day-mixup-with-jordan-cameron/). For the suffix thing, I know they’re supposed to be attached to the given name not the family name, but the jerseys don’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/27 "2019-12-06T23:59:07Z")
I grew up watching Curt Warner play RB for the Seahawks. To this day when I hear about “Kurt Warner” my mind goes to Curt first. Also, Tre Flowers is a cornerback for the Seahawks. Trey Flowers is a defensive end for the Lions. Tre Flowers is actually named Trequille. Trey Flowers is actually named Robert Lee. (I assume “Trey” is because he is Robert Lee Flowers **III**.) Greg Olsen, tight end for the Panthers. Greg Olson, offensive coordinator for the Raiders. Those guys are just the ones off the top of my head that regularly confuse me in football games. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/28 "2019-12-08T06:39:53Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Can’t forget Jackie Robinson Day; let’s change _everyone_’s number to 42 & not put names on the back of the jersey. That sure makes it easy for the fans to know who’s who. :smack: Fucking asshole, Selig! Hey, Jackie Robinson Day is great! Every year, I can win a bet: “Hey, pal, I bet that Number 42 will hit a home run today.” And every year, somebody on some team does, while wearing Number 42. 😉 (No, I don’t actually take non-baseball fans for their money. But I have had a few ask me why everybody on the field is wearing number 42, and I’m tempted.) ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/29 "2019-12-09T01:57:24Z")
I’m with the OP. While the Browns had the QB known as Robert Griffin the 3rd, with the personal brand-name “RG3”, I insisted on referring to him as “Griffin”. As far as I know, I am the only one who discussed Browns’ football who did so. Because Griffin the 1st and 2d were immaterial to me, I saw no reason to refer to them at all or to concern myself with Griffin’s status as “the third.” No one other than me cared, of course. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/30 "2019-12-09T16:41:47Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > I’m with the OP. > > While the Browns had the QB known as Robert Griffin the 3rd, with the personal brand-name “RG3”, I insisted on referring to him as “Griffin”. As far as I know, I am the only one who discussed Browns’ football who did so. Because Griffin the 1st and 2d were immaterial to me, I saw no reason to refer to them at all or to concern myself with Griffin’s status as “the third.” > > No one other than me cared, of course. LOL Branding is important, and I have no trouble with promoting “RG3” as your brand. It’s infinitely more memorable and distinct than any other “Griffin” out there. And it’s only natural for people to talk about “RG3” instead of calling him “Griffin.” YMMV, obviously. It only bothers me when it’s on the jersey. Sorry, your last name is Griffin, and that’s all that belongs there. Tangent – I wonder if the NFL will someday allow names to go \*under \*the numbers, rather than across the shoulders. With long-haired players the name gets obscured. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/31 "2019-12-09T16:57:17Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > There’s been a tension, for years (if not decades), between NFL players wanting to be able to express themselves by personalizing their uniforms in some way, and the NFL instituting increasingly strict rules which boil down to “uniforms (the noun) must be uniform (the adjective)!” The league wants every player on a team to be wearing pretty much the exact same thing, and players want the opposite. > > My suspicion is that, a few years ago, players discovered that, while the NFL wouldn’t let them put made-up names on their uniforms (see Ochocinco), the league would let them add generational notations. And, thus, over the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of players starting to use them. And then you have players like KC Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who requested “MD” on his uniform after he graduated from med school. The league turned him down. (With a name like Duvernay-Tardif, maybe there wasn’t enough room? :p) ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/32 "2019-12-09T17:05:13Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > And then you have players like KC Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who requested “MD” on his uniform after he graduated from med school. The league turned him down. (With a name like Duvernay-Tardif, maybe there wasn’t enough room? :p) I never heard that. Why would the league say no to that? I would waive all my reservations and griping to see a guy with MD or PhD after his name. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/33 "2019-12-09T19:43:40Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > I never heard that. Why would the league say no to that? I would waive all my reservations and griping to see a guy with MD or PhD after his name. Don’t give the NFL any ideas. They might come up with a Player’s weekend like MLB does where the uniform names are replaced with stupid nicknames. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/34 "2019-12-09T22:31:56Z")
Actually, I like their current [My Cause My Cleats](https://operations.nfl.com/football-ops/economic-social-impact/my-cause-my-cleats/) campaign. It gives the players the individuality they’re otherwise denied while they raise money for their pet causes. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/35 "2019-12-09T22:37:05Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Actually, I like their current [My Cause My Cleats](https://operations.nfl.com/football-ops/economic-social-impact/my-cause-my-cleats/) campaign. It gives the players the individuality they’re otherwise denied while they raise money for their pet causes. I’d like it if it was a year-round thing. I never pay attention to shoes until someone brings attention to them and I doubt anyone else outside of the NFL organization itself does either. It’d be cool if the cleats were a way to let players express themselves continually rather than just for a week. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/36 "2019-12-10T00:18:43Z")
I’m 100 percent with the OP. If there’s going to be a name on the jersey, family name only. No given names, no nicknames, no suffixes. Really though you don’t need a name. That’s what the number is for. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/37 "2019-12-10T00:20:52Z")
Oh and fuck colored jerseys and “third uniforms.” White for home. Grey (or some other light color for certain clubs) for away. That’s all. This is the major leagues, not a softball team. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/38 "2019-12-10T00:34:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Oh and fuck colored jerseys and “third uniforms.” White for home. Grey (or some other light color for certain clubs) for away. That’s all. > > This is the major leagues, not a softball team. The more jerseys you have, the more you can sell. I’m pretty sure that’s the NFL’s entire motivation. You might as well gripe about mascots and team names, “They’re men not fantasy monsters and airplanes, just call them ‘The New Jersey Pro Football Team’ and ‘The Other New Jersey Pro Football Team’.” (Just as a reminder, the Bills are New York’s only NFL team.) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/39 "2019-12-10T03:25:47Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The more jerseys you have, the more you can sell. I’m pretty sure that’s the NFL’s entire motivation. Of course it is. That isn’t the point. > [@](#): > > You might as well gripe about mascots and team names, I would rather that nicknames etc. be freely chosen and used by fans and journalists rather than “official” nicknames chosen by corporate marketeers. Over time the nicknames should be subject to change based on the whim of the public at large. > [@](#): > > (Just as a reminder, the Bills are New York’s only NFL team.) To me, the relevant unit is the conurbation, not the state. So a team in north Jersey is a New York City team. There are two New York teams and a Buffalo team. There are no New York State teams. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433/40 "2019-12-10T18:59:47Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > To me, the relevant unit is the **conurbation** , not the state. So a team in north Jersey is a New York City team. There are two New York teams and a Buffalo team. There are no New York State teams. Thanks for teaching me a new word! Back in the 80s I remember the mayor of Detroit being pissed that the Pistons built a new arena in a suburb. My memory is hazy but he may have even threatened to sue to make them remove “Detroit” from their name. Obviously that went nowhere. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-gripe-generational-suffixes-on-sports-uniforms/844433.md?page=3)