Carolina players exchange stories about exchanging jerseys
(CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — J.J. Jansen isn’t sure how it got started but he has his theories.
“It kind of became a thing like with soccer and with basketball,” he explains. “All of a sudden you just start doing it.”
The Panthers long snapper isn’t alone. All over the league it’s happening, and not everyone likes it.
“Your wife may be the one to make the cutoff but for us, you can never have enough,” Carolina tight end Jordan Matthews said.
Spoken like a true collector. And in the NFL, the hunt is on. Now post-games are no longer just about taking pictures. They’re also about the players exchanging jerseys.
“I think it’s more so a sign of respect,” Matthews said. ““I mean “Like, if you are going to get a collector’s item, the top of the list is a game-worn jersey.”
You may think that all there is to a jersey swapping is simply swapping jerseys, but as we’ve come to find out, there’s much more to it.
The first step is the ask. Traditionally, it’s done days in advance.
“I think (it’s mostly) guys know each other,” Jansen. “They have talked about it before. (You’ll) send a guy a text or a DM.”
Much like with dating, rejection can happen. Especially if the request comes last-minute.
“It is nothing really big,” Panthers safety Sam Franklin said. “You know you only get one jersey a game. They already gave theirs’ away.”
Once the trade is made, there is the matter of telling the equipment manager and paying the bill. After all, jersey’s don’t grow on trees.
“They have jerseys in stock, so they always have the invoice ready to go,” Matthews said.
Ultimately, what happens next to the jersey is up to the player.
“Some guys like the opportunity to hang a bunch of jerseys on the wall,” Jansen said.
If nothing else, they’ve got a great story.
“I think it’s about showing respect for guys you are competing with,” he adds.
Theirs is a tradition that has no beginning, and much to their spouses chagrin, apparently no end either.