We all need a little distraction from time to time, and for many of us, football represent the best getaway from our daily life and a way to connect with friends and family by embracing a common passion. Are you not the biggest sports fan on the planet? It doesn’t matter, as you probably can still understand the overall value that the beautiful game brings to local communities and small to medium-sized cities. For a lot of people, supporting the local team is more than a choice. Is a way of living, a tradition, and a way to ensure that the passions of our parents, friends and old acquaintances live on.
However, there are levels to being a football supporter, and the top one is reserved to those individuals who show their support through the garments they wear. Are you a fan of a team involved in top-flight football and are you used with big results and a never-ending supply of domestic trophies? In that case, investing in a new jersey could represent a way to connect with a vast array of international supporters who are accustomed to success and demand only the best.
Do you support a local team, that’s involved in low level football? In that case, buying a new shirt can be a way to financially support your club, and who knows, maybe even show the players that their passion is worth fighting for. But there is also another breed of football supporters. Those individuals who reminisce of the good old days in which the game was simpler, the beer was colder and the nights were more glorious. And these are the people who will primarily be interested in classic football shirts.
Why Choose Them Over Traditional, Contemporary Jerseys?
There are a couple of reasons actually. Number one, and perhaps the most important, has to do with the nostalgia factor. Let’s say for example you are a fan of a team that used to be a European juggernaut a couple of decades ago, but since then has slipped into relative obscurity. Not every club goes through a resurgence like Nottingham Forest. For every success story, there are countless that unfortunately don’t have a happy ending. So, it’s only natural to be fonder of the past and be willing to invest in the shirts of squads kept alive in our memories.
Even when they are well-made replicas, premium-looking classic football shirts are, above all else, symbol of bygone eras, and have an enhanced cultural and historical significance, especially for clubs that miss their old performances. Why should you celebrate mediocrity when you can celebrate greatness? Why settle for the shirt of an average player when you go for a legend of the game? Maradona, Zico, even Messi or Ronaldo are either memories in the mind of football fans or shadows of their past glory.
By wearing their old shirts, you can keep their name alive, show gratitude towards their achievements, and present the world the impact these players had on you and the ones around you. Football, in many ways, is a nostalgic game. We remember past victories, we forget painful defeats and we praise old players and coaches that transformed the game into the phenomena it is today. Should we live in the past? No. But, there is nothing wrong in having a preference for the old day of the sports, in which we were all younger, and the future was looking brighter than ever.
A Somewhat More Fashionable Choice
Let’s be real for a second. A football shirt, no matter how rare or valuable will never be a proper replacement for formal attire. So, if you are planning to wear that Gerrard shirt to your sister’s wedding, you might want to reconsider a bit. But, there is no denying that some jerseys have more street creed than others, even if they are just well-made replicas. Sure, people might appreciate a contemporary jersey that brings attention to the current rooster of your local club. But you know what will be instantly recognizable to every football fan around the world? The shirt of a legend.
A replica of Pele’s and Maradona’s national team shirts would catch the attention of the people around you and perhaps even help develop conversations that will results in life-long friendships. Classic football shirts are trendy, they act as a bridge between the contemporary streetwear culture and fashionable traditionalism and are, in their own way, cool. Ah, of course, you can’t exactly wear them everywhere (don’t be that guy). But, some shirts can act as symbols of club’s identities, and have a positive impact on your creed as a sports fan.
What If Money Is of Concern?
Let’s say you are not a hardcore football fan. In fact, let’s assume you haven’t watched a full 90-minutes game in years. For someone like you, what will be the main appeal of classic football shirts? Prestige, fashion, practicality? Well, maybe. But if one is to guess, the main benefit would be related to profits. Even if we are talking about replicas, football shirts, when associated with events symbolic to the world of sports can gradually appreciate in value and result in a ROI that makes them reasonable investments.
Sure, it doesn’t always work like this. After all, for the most part, the price you pay now will likely be the one you can expect to collect in the moment you decide to sell your memorabilia. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Do you have a replica of Henry’s 2004 shirt, widely associated with the “Invincibles” squad, that pulverized the Premier league in that season? If so, you are one signature away from owning a piece of memorabilia that could fetch hundreds of dollars.
A signed shirt will always be valuable, even a replica. That said, a replica associated with a fantastic team, that went down in history, will automatically be even more treasured. For sports nerds and casuals alike, classic football shirts can be a worthwhile investment, one that can combine profitability with passion and proudness for the quintessential qualities of the beautiful game.
