One of the most important pieces of merchandise that sports games and leagues can sell is sports jerseys. Sports fans are always interested in wearing the jerseys of their favorite members, and it is a long-established way of honoring their favorite players. And in the same way, the players and sportspeople prefer wearing jerseys with numbers close to their hearts or meaning something significant to them.
This is one of the primary reasons why sportspeople sometimes change the number of their jerseys. For example, in soccer, Messi is emotionally attached to jersey number 30. Fans also associate jersey number 30 with him. However, changing the number of your jersey is not so easy.
This aspect depends on the sport and the specific rules the overseeing committee of that sport has. So let’s understand the reasons why Dalvin Cook changed his jersey number and the complications surrounding it.
Who Is Dalvin Cook?
Dalvin Cook is an American Football player who plays for the Vikings. He played in the running back position and began competitively playing his college football in Florida. Vikings drafted him as a player in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He has been an active player despite being out of several games due to injuries.
Why Did Dalvin Cook Change His Number? The NFL Rules
The National Football League is the association that oversees the happenings in American Football. They originally had strict rules about jersey numbers. The jersey numbers then depended on an individual’s position in the team and the position they would be playing. So it was not easy for Dalvin Cook, who plays for the Vikings, to change his number so far. He had to choose between 20 and 49.
His original jersey number is 33, and he plays in the running back position. So, finally, a year ago, NFL loosed its grip on the rules about changing the jersey number. However, Cook chose to wait out a whole year before doing that. Fans have been wondering that since he had wanted to change his number, why did he wait out a whole year before doing so?
Why Did Dalvin Cook Change His Number? The Reason
While it may not seem like a big deal to change a jersey number, it is just a number on a shirt, and it was a big deal for Dalvin Cook and his family. He had been playing with the number 4 in his college football. This was the number his older brother had worn, and this was the number that was passed down to his younger brother James Cook.
The number meant a lot to him and his family. Dalvin began playing football seeing his older brother. Since he idolized his older brother, he wanted to play using that number. Cook has stated there is an aspect of mental comfort and a hike in his confidence whenever he played with 4, which further strengthened his resolve to get it changed.
Moreover, in a recent interview, he revealed that his father passed away a year ago, and Dalvin had a promise to him. The promise was that he would get back to playing for his number, the number 4. And Dalvin intended to keep the promise he made. The feeling of tradition and loyalty towards his family made him want to keep the number 4 on his jersey. In fact, although his number was 33, his nickname on the team remained 4.
So Why Did He Wait?
Although the NFL rules about changing the jersey number, there was still one caveat. They required the players to buy out the existing inventory of jerseys with that number. At an estimate, Dalvin cook found out that it would cost him almost $1.2 million. So Cook decided to go ahead and finish the league before changing the number to 4 for his 2022 games. By taking this action, he managed to save himself a cost of more than one million dollars.
It is worth noting that he is not the only player to make this change. Charger’s safety Derwin James has also switched from 33 to 3. The players just seem to be more comfortable with their college numbers. So this brings in the question of why the NHL has these rules in the first place. What is your take on the issue? Let us know in the comments below.
