You know the line: “I don’t wear jerseys, I’m 30 plus. Give me a crisp pair of jeans and a button up.”  I’ve heard it, too. But I’m only 23 years old and button ups aren’t exactly my style. So give me a crisp pair of mesh shorts, a nice hat and an NBA jersey instead.

Since I’ve already established that I’m a jersey man (which is definitely far different than a Jersey man), I’m going to tell you why I buy a jersey. There are three reasons:

1) I love the player – I don’t rock a Jay Williams (from Duke) Bulls jersey because I like the Bulls (not even close). I don’t rock it because his professional career was amazing (it definitely wasn’t). I don’t rock it because it matches my red shoes (if you know me, I’m not exactly one to match my outfits). I don’t rock it because he’s my favorite analyst either (he’s certainly not). I rock it because I’m a Duke fanatic and it’s a damn shame that his career was derailed by motorcycle hitting tree. And because I still hope that his comeback against Maryland is on ESPN Classic whenever I flip to that channel.

2) It looks cool – I wouldn’t do it if I hate the player, though. Take Kobe Bryant, for instance. I could be gifted an obscenely cool Kobe throwback, the jersey of all jerseys. But I would do three things after receiving that sick jersey: 1) I’d burn it. 2) I’d spit on its ashes. And 3) I’d slap the person who gave it to me, straight across the face. What kind of person gives the biggest Celtic fan in the world a Kobe Bryant jersey?

But let’s say that super-cool jersey of all jerseys is some player I’m indifferent to. Say, Alex English. I could wear his jersey for the style of it, even if the player himself doesn’t mean anything to me. In the jersey game, indifference works. Hatred? Not so much.

3) Rarity – I won’t buy a jersey JUST because it’s rare. (Example number one: this.) But if you combine rarity with either of the first two reasons, you’ve got yourself a necessary purchase.

The best jersey, though? One that combines all three reasons. Kind of like the jersey below. Slightly — and only slightly — lacking in the looks department, but I like the colors and anyway, what more can you expect from a 1970s high school jersey?

Cool, rare and a legend. Check, check and check. Are you trying to tell me you’d rather wear a crisp pair of jeans and a button up?

That’s it for the first edition of Throwback Thursdays. And oh, yeah, you can buy the jersey here.