Read the arguments from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan about when it is the right time for a team to retire a player’s jersey.
The writers at The Sports Debates were having a production meeting recently hashing out possible debate ideas when Sports Geek came across a story that caught our attention. The Miami Heat recently retired the jersey of former star player Tim Hardaway, who played with the team from 1996-2001. Hardaway broke into the league with the Golden State Warriors in 1989 and formed “Run TMC” with fellow Warriors Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. He was traded to the Heat in the middle of the 1995-1996 season.
The Heat won four consecutive division titles with Hardaway at the point in the mid-to-late 1990s, including a 61 win-season in the 1996-97 season. But, we are not here to debate whether or not Hardaway deserved to have his jersey retired, though that alone could actually be a debate.
What we are here to debate is the time frame surrounding the actual retiring of a jersey. If you have ever been to an arena or stadium where a professional sports team plays you have noticed retired jerseys hanging from the rafters at a basketball arena or retired numbers engraved on an outfield wall, or perhaps hanging off an upper deck façade, at a baseball stadium. This past summer I had the extreme pleasure of attending the Braves game at Turner Field in Atlanta where Greg Maddux’s number 31 was retired. The Braves’ ceremony was a couple of months after the Chicago Cubs retired the same number at Wrigley Field. It truly is quite an honor for an athlete to have his or her jersey retired.
When is the appropriate time to retire a jersey? Should it be the year after a player retires, as with Maddux? Is it five years post-retirement? When a player enters the Hall of Fame of his/her respective sport? That could be debated many times over. We are going to take a little different route on this particular debate.
Should a minimum number of years with a team determine whether a team can retire a jersey? Should PLAYER A have to play at least X number years in order to be eligible to have their jersey retired? Bleacher Fan will argue that there should be no restriction on the number of years played before placing a player’s jersey into a place of honor. Sports Geek, on the other hand, will argue that a minimum number of years post retirement must be a requirement.
I will award the victory tomorrow, though I must warn you… the winner will not be getting their number or name retired!
