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Traditions in sports are a large part of what make the experience so special for athletes as well as fans. Soccer is not short on traditions, from Liverpool fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Boxing Day’s Premiere League matches, the rivalries on Derby day, to a tradition that now seems to be transcending to the rest of the sporting world: swapping shirts.
When the tradition of swapping shirts began is up for debate. Some say it started in 1931 when France beat England for the first time in an international game. The French were so happy they asked the English team if they could keep their jerseys and the English obliged. On the other hand, FIFA says that jersey swapping took place for the first time during the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland as a way for players to take a piece of memorabilia home after a game. Current players look at it as a way to remember a game in which they achieved a great feat against a worthy adversary, or if you are a younger player maybe it’s a way to show a sign of respect to a player you respect and that you look up to on the opposing squad. Whatever the reason may be the tradition is one that has continued on across all of soccer and although we don’t know for a fact when it started it is still alive and strong today in the sport, and now it seems that it has made its way into another version of Football as many players in the NFL have begun to swap jerseys with their opponents after their games. A custom associated more with fútbol than football; jersey swapping has become as much a part of the N.F.L. postgame ritual as handshakes and prayer circles. Players consider the transaction, freighted with personal meaning, the ultimate show of respect.
Here is one of the emerging stars in the NFL, Odell Beckham Jr swapping his jersey with fellow wide receiver Brandon Marshall after their game.
AP Photo | Seth Wenig
The reasons why they are doing it are very similar in both sports, to some it’s a way to remember the game they played in and have a memento to take home, others it’s a sign of respect between competitors, and for some it’s because some of these players grew up as friends or high school or college teammates and it’s a way to continue their bond in the sport they play in. No matter why the athletes choose to swap jerseys it is still cool to know that what originated in one sport so long ago as a sign of respect for the game they love and work so hard to compete in is now so many years later becoming a tradition in another sport. It shows the influence that one sport, in this case soccer, can have on athletes in another sport even if the games are played in a different way, or the fans sometimes are not the same for both sports, that a tradition that is a sign of respect and sportsmanship can be mutually appreciated and shared across all platforms.
