Can anyone forget the vision of Brandi Chastain embracing the U.S. soccer team’s victory over China in the 1999 Women’s World Cup by tearing off her sports jersey and going to her the ground in her completely demuresports bra? The image of that jersey waved overhead was displayed internationally and is a wonderful depiction of what sports jerseys have come to stand for talismans of the ability of sports to create joy; engage attention;tap emotions; and even to cure. Jersey wholesalers have made jerseys readily available to all, from professional athletes to childrens’s informal pick-up teams. But wholesale jerseys have also become a way for fans to satisfy their wish to be closer to well-known athletes and memorable moments in sports history.

Jerseys have become synonymous with well-known users in the world of famous athletes. Followers recall their favorites by jersey number alone. Who wears jersey number eight in the National Basketball Association? Maybe a lot of guys do, but the answer from a true follower will be the Laker’s “Kobe Bryant.” When the Lakers achieved victory over the Magic in the 2009 NBA Championship finals, jersey wholesalers were trying hard to keep #8 in stock. Likewise, if a fan hears #7 and Pennsylvania football — the conclusion is instantaneous: Ben Roethlisberger, winner of the Super Bowl. Identifying with their winners by wearing sports jerseys helps followers bond their favorite sport.

Anecdotes abound about the kindness of sports heroes who have donated their own jerseys to individual fans, often kids who have suffered sickness. Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and a gold-medal Olympian broke his ownsingle- game scoring record and then gave the jersey he wore that night to a kid who had suffered amputation of hands and feet due to a bacterial infection. On a broader scale, professional athletes often donate their signed jerseys to charities that use them for fundraising and for publicity.