# What's with the mathematical symbols on the Ipswich Town FC jerseys? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [August 17, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833 "2024-08-17T15:40:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/1 "2024-08-17T15:40:23Z")
> **[Umbro Ipswich Town Home Jersey 24/25 (Royal Blue)](https://soccerwearhouse.com/products/umbro-ipswich-town-24-25-home-jersey)** > > PLEASE NOTE: IF ORDERED WITH A NAMESET AND/OR PATCH, DELIVERY CAN TAKE 2-3 WEEKS IF NOT IN STOCK. ALL CUSTOMIZED JERSEYS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR RETURNS OR EXCHANGES. This shirt represents the pride both players and supporters feel for Ipswich Town... Is their sponsor the Ministry of Maths? Also, what’s their … term of endearment? (I know European soccer doesn’t have “nicknames” in the sense of the Chicago Cubs or Philadelphia Flyers, but they have these terms of endearment like Leicester is the Foxes and Wrexham is the Dragons) ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/2 "2024-08-17T15:42:57Z")
The shirt sponsor, believe it or not, is Ed Sheeran. The mathematical symbols refer to the titles of his studio albums. Apparently, the Gingerbread Man is a fan of Ipswich. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/3 "2024-08-17T15:43:02Z")
Their sponsor is singer Ed Sheerhan, and it’s apparently a somewhat oblique reference to his albums and/or tour. > **[What does Ipswich Town's sponsor mean?](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/29889758/what-does-ipswich-town-sponsor-mean-ed-sheeran/)** > > POP icon Ed Sheeran is the brains behind Ipswich Town’s sensational front-of-shirt sponsorship deal – but some fans still don’t understand what it means. Sheeran was born in Yorks… ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/4 "2024-08-17T16:56:38Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Also, what’s their … term of endearment? They are the Blues. I’ve said nickname all my life. Where is this rule coming from? There is a difference between [Boston] Red Sox and [West Ham] Hammers. Red Sox is the actual name of the club, Hammers is not. Seems like Hammers IS a nickname, while Red Sox (or Flyers in your example) is not. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/5 "2024-08-17T17:25:07Z")
We’ve been known as ‘The Tractor Boys’ for about 25 years now, mostly by non-Town people. I think it winds up a lot of actual Town fans but it’s where my username comes from. It was actually a self-deprecating chant that started at an away match after the home fans (might have been Birmingham, no one seems to know for sure) mocked our country-bumpkin status, so when we took the lead some of the away support started to sing ironically “one-nil to the tractor boys”. Locally most people just say Town, or the (Super) Blues. Except Norwich. They call us the Binners. Because they are weird. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/6 "2024-08-17T19:57:15Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > There is a difference between [Boston] Red Sox and [West Ham] Hammers. Red Sox is the actual name of the club, Hammers is not. Seems like Hammers IS a nickname, while Red Sox (or Flyers in your example) is not. Once upon a time (i.e., late 19th and early 20th century), nicknames for baseball teams were less formalized, and teams often had a variety of unofficial nicknames (often bestowed by sportswriters); the Boston AL team was known as the Bostonians, the Red Stockings, the Pilgrims, the Beaneaters, and more. As the 20th century progressed, teams began to adopt formal/official names, which became part of the teams’ legal identity; Boston formally adopted the Red Sox name around 1908. When professional leagues in other North American sports began (NFL, NHL, NBA), teams in those leagues nearly always followed the practice of having formal, legal team names/nicknames. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/7 "2024-08-17T20:14:11Z")
Major League Soccer in the U.S. partially imitates the European model of not favoring the team’s nickname when talking about them. Austin FC is just … Austin FC, not “the Austin Los Verdes” or some variant of the nickname. Orlando City is the Lions, but no one ever says “the Orlando Lions” [and don’t get me started on their mascot, [Kingston](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmascots.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FKingston_%2528Orlando_City_S.C.%2529&psig=AOvVaw3t5OwUFOwgvx-qoiYxrYko&ust=1724011982633000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCNi2x5jr_IcDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE), named (as far as I can tell) from a Jamaican city that has no connection to Orlando at all]. St. Louis City FC has been playing for two seasons and, best I can tell, they don’t have a nickname yet. I’ve been suggesting The Archies since before they took the field last season, but we’re not there yet. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/8 "2024-08-17T22:32:40Z")
Seattle is Sounders FC. That’s even the name of their official web site. > **[soundersfc](https://www.soundersfc.com/)** > > The official website of Seattle Sounders FC with the most up-to-date information on tickets, schedules, scores, stats, and team news. I always hear “Sounders FC” in advertisements, and that’s how they refer to themselves all over that site. They may be an exception though. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/9 "2024-08-17T22:38:31Z")
Maybe it’s a palindrome. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/10 "2024-08-17T23:21:35Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > They may be an exception though. Yes and no. MLS started with all teams (maybe with an exception or two) keeping the American model (Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards, etc. About a decade ago MLS did a half-hearted rebrand, and some teams converted to the European model – Kansas City Wizards became Sporting KC, for example – and the rest kept the American model. As the league has expanded, some have kept the European model (St. Louis City FC, for example) and some have kept the American model. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/11 "2024-08-17T23:25:34Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > As the league has expanded, some have kept the European model (St. Louis City FC, for example) and some have kept the American model. It’s clear they’re struggling to figure out what brings in more fans. Maybe they need to add mathematical symbols. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/12 "2024-08-18T15:38:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s clear they’re struggling to figure out what brings in more fans. I’m pretty sure you were joking, but in case you weren’t: I think the issue is more cultural. Some fans think soccer in the US should abide by the European model since soccer is dominated by European teams, originated in Europe, is yugely popular in Europe, etc. Others think American soccer should stick to the American model (of naming teams) because 'Murica. And maybe cultural appropriation (I saw this term used in a Reddit thread where someone was defending the American naming model in MLS. I found it a bit odd, but there it is.). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/13 "2024-08-29T14:59:06Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > When professional leagues in other North American sports began (NFL, NHL, NBA), teams in those leagues nearly always followed the practice of having formal, legal team names/nicknames. The New York Giants legal name is “The New York Football Giants” to differentiate themselves from the baseball team which had existed for decades before the NFL. It’s still the official name despite the baseball team moving to San Francisco in 1958. There is a lot of money tied up in the trademarked names. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/14 "2024-08-29T20:17:17Z")
They also have multiple nicknames: The G-Men, Big Blue, and the Jints. And come to think of it, the crosstown rival Jets also have a nickname: Gang Green. Is that a New York thing or do other NFL teams have unofficial nicknames? Not positional nicknames, like the Steel Curtain, the Hogs, or the New York Sack Exchange (Jets), but nicknames for the team as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/15 "2024-08-29T22:48:15Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > do other NFL teams have unofficial nicknames Maybe the Chicago Bears, the “Monsters of the Midway” at one time. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-mathematical-symbols-on-the-ipswich-town-fc-jerseys/1005833/16 "2024-08-30T00:03:26Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Is that a New York thing or do other NFL teams have unofficial nicknames? Quite a few have a commonly-used unofficial nickname that’s a shortening of their full nickname (Packers = Pack, Vikings = Vikes, Jaguars = Jags, Buccaneers = Bucs, etc.). Some others that come to mind: - Packers: The Green and Gold - Chargers: Bolts (short for “lightning bolts,” which appear on their helmets and jerseys) - Eagles: Birds, Iggles - Cardinals: Redbirds > [@HeyHomie](#): > > Maybe the Chicago Bears, the “Monsters of the Midway” at one time. Living in the Chicago area, I still hear that one used frequently for the Bears. (It was originally a nickname for the University of Chicago’s football team, and is a reference to the “Midway Plaisance,” a public park/boulevard which runs through the campus; the school ceased its football program in 1939, and local fans and media affixed the nickname to the Bears around that same time.) > **[Monsters of the Midway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsters_of_the_Midway)** > > The Monsters of the Midway is most widely known as the nickname for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. The moniker initially belonged to the University of Chicago Maroons football team, which was a reference to the Midway Plaisance on the South Side of Chicago. The nickname became associated with the Bears, who won six championships between 1932 and 1946. The nickname was revived in the Super Bowl era of the NFL to describe the team's dominant defenses, particularly the 1985 Bears t