NFL to ban jersey swaps over virus fears

Post-game jersey swaps will be prohibited under a range of coronavirus safety protocols set to be introduced by the NFL for the upcoming season, reports said Thursday.

USA Today reported that under the new measures put in place for the 2020 campaign, players from opposing teams would not be allowed to be within six feet of each other after the game.

The rule effectively prohibits post-game gestures such as jersey exchanges and handshakes, a measure that was greeted with scorn by some NFL players on Thursday.

"This is a perfect example of NFL thinking in a nutshell," San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman wrote on Twitter.

"Players can go engage in a full contact game and do it safely. However, it is deemed unsafe for them to exchange jerseys after said game."

Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson was similarly perplexed, writing simply: "That's DAMN silly bro."

Texans wide receiver Randall Cobb added simply: "This has to be a joke."

A draft of the game-day protocols and an infectious disease emergency response plan for training camps were sent to NFL clubs on Wednesday, USA Today reported. The protocols were drawn up by the NFL and NFL Players Association.

Other measures to be put in place include strict body temperature monitoring, with no one who registers a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher allowed into stadiums on game days.

Players and coaches would would be "encouraged" to wear face coverings on the sideline but masks would not be mandatory.

However, game crew and medical staff would be required to don protective masks.

In a further move, home teams would be obliged to stay at hotels on the night before games and head directly to their stadium.

Team arrivals on game day would be staggered while locker and training rooms will also be regularly disinfected.

Agence France-Presse

Kobe hailed as 'greatest' Laker in star-studded jersey retirement ceremony

LOS ANGELES -- Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant was hailed as the "greatest" Los Angeles Laker of all Monday by fellow legend Magic Johnson in a ceremony to retire Bryant's jersey numbers.

The tribute came at half-time of the Lakers' Staples Center matchup against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, with Bryant's Numbers 8 and 24 joining other inspirational Laker icons from the team's 70-year history.

"We're here to celebrate the greatest to ever wear the purple and gold. He made us rub our eyes and wonder what did we just see," said Johnson, now Lakers president of basketball operations.

"There will never, ever be another Kobe Bryant."

   
Bryant played 10 seasons in each retired number, winning three titles in the single-digit uniform top and two in the higher number jersey.

"Thank you so much for tonight," Bryant told the crowd, which chanted his name while giving him a standing ovation.

"It's not about my jerseys that are hanging up there for me. It's about the jerseys that were hanging up there before."

Many of the team's past legends were on hand to welcome Bryant, who retired after the 2015-16 campaign as an 18-time All-Star, a 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and two-time NBA Finals MVP, two-time NBA scoring champion and two-time Olympic champion.

Bryant, 39, said fans inspired him to put in the work every day that became his trademark over two decades with the Lakers, an unprecedented feat.

"Those times are the dream," Bryant said. "It's not the destination. It's the journey. If you accomplish that, your dreams won't come true -- something greater will."

With a nod to his "Black Mamba" nickname, Bryant closed his remarks with, "Mamba out."

With his family on hand to watch, Bryant was honored with the mention of such career highlights as his career-high 81-point game in a 2006 victory over Toronto, the second-highest point total in any game in NBA history.

Also acknowledged was his final game, when he became the oldest player in NBA history to score 60 points, hitting the mark on the number in his farewell victory over Utah.

"There will never be an athlete in his last performance to top this man's performance -- 60 points. Man," Johnson said.

The most emotional moment came when Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who has helped keep the Lakers heritage together, paid tribute to Bryant.

"What we're celebrating is the journey you took us on for those 20 years," Buss said.

"If you separate the accomplishments of each of those jerseys, both of those players would be in the Hall of Fame.

"We asked for your hustle and you gave us your heart which was so much more. You have forever made your mark on this franchise."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

The Bleachers King: On those short-sleeved NBA jerseys

When I first saw those short-sleeved NBA uniforms (with their solid color and huge team logo designs), my first thought was, “They look like something a volleyball player would wear.”

And I thought back to that great American Men’s Volleyball Teams from 1984-88 where they won back-to-back gold medals in the Olympics in addition to two FIVB championships in between. That team had the great Karch Kiraly, named the best male volleyball player of the 20th century by FIVB, the flat-topped Steve Timmons, Dusty Dvorak, Pat Powers, and Aldis Berzins to name a few.

Then I thought, “Not another merchandising gimmick to get people to shell out money.”

Anyone who has played pick up basketball knows that it’s okay to wear t-shirts while playing. But when it gets heavy because of sweat, you roll up the sleeves.

Only these new adidas jerseys are of that adizero design where it 26% lighter than the NBA jersey that comes with a moisture absorbing feature. The sleeves are made with a stretch fabric so that when a baller goes into him jumpshot mode, it doesn’t interfere with his shot.

During the NBA’s Christmas Day games, quite a few voiced out their displeasure with the new short-sleeved jerseys.

However, now when I have stewed on it, it’s not so bad. It will just take some getting used to by the players. Don’t those baggy shorts weigh players down as well?

As someone who used to buy, wear, and collect a lot of basketball and NBA jerseys in particular, it somewhat felt awkward trying to wear them out in public. Unless I was playing a pick up game, I never wore those tank tops in public.

If I did I wore it over a t-shirt.

They aren’t like those baseball, American football or soccer kits that look just fine on and off the field.

The new short-sleeved jerseys would look good if it were perhaps less form hugging and a little more loose or baggy. If you aren’t athletically fit, I don’t thin anyone wants the shirt to be defined by those fatty contours.

That will lead to consumers buying sizes a little bigger.

Maybe the league might want to consider that as well.

Since we’re on the topic of jerseys – and I will keep it to the NBA stuff here – I mostly buy the swingman-type (now priced at $109.95) as opposed to the replicas ($69.95). I do have one authentic ($299.95) and that’s Manu Ginobili’s (that I got from the man himself during a game after a San Antonio Spurs game at New Jersey). Sure, the authentic and swingman versions are more expensive but they are a price you pay for quality and authenticity.

The short-sleeved jerseys are priced the same way the tank top replicas and swingman shirts.

Do I count myself as a jerseyhead? Not anymore as I don’t buy too many nowadays. But here’s what I have in my collection.

Swingman jerseys in my collection:
Michael Jordan – Washington Wizards
Latrell Sprewell – New York Knicks
Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
Jeremy Lin – New York Knicks
Chris Mullin – Golden State Warriors
Pau Gasol – Los Angeles Lakers
James Harden – Houston Rockets
Pablo Prigioni – New York Knicks

Replica jerseys in my collection:
Michael Jordan – Chicago Bulls
Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers (the old #8)
Tracy McGrady – Orlando Magic
Jason Kidd – New Jersey Nets
Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder
Andres Nocioni – Chicago Bulls

Judging by the reaction to the short-sleeved NBA jerseys, it doesn’t sound good. But I know a lot has been invested in them. Let’s see where they go with this.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com