There is nothing quite like playing on a team. The atmosphere, the dedication, the grit and grind, the pain of losing, the joy of winning and the bonds that feel unbreakable. As a former athlete, I would give anything just to be on a team again. I would give anything to do one more dreadful, but now longed for, sprint with my teammates. I would do anything to wear number 14 on my back again because it meant I was a part of something greater. I belonged.
Kristen Pickens, senior business marketing major, has played for Union’s women’s softball team for four years. She has worn number 12 on her back throughout her whole Union career.
Meghan Delaney, sophomore nursing major and Union volleyball player, has been number 10 since her freshman year of high school. While she continues to wear that number, her jersey for the past two seasons at Union has said “Bulldogs.”
What does a number mean? To some athletes, it is very important. Maybe they chose it in honor of one of their parents or one of their favorite players. In that case, it holds significance in their lives. They use it for passwords, social media handles, email handles, car license plates, stickers or even on a shirt to give to their grandma. It becomes a part of who they are. It means something every time they see it. It brings back memories and reminds them of their own personal time as a player.
However, to some athletes, it is just a number. They simply chose the next available number, or like me, they chose the number because it was the correct size when they first got it. It reminds them of the sport they played, but in the end, it does not hold some superstitious meaning or have any value at all. It was just a number.
Coach Mark Campbell, Union’s women’s basketball coach, who won his 600th career game faster than any coach in the history of the sport at any level, has seen a lot of numbers in his basketball career. He wore different numbers for middle school, high school and college, choosing whatever number was available.
“I’ve honestly never thought about this before,” said Campbell. “The number doesn’t matter to me. My number doesn’t give me a special feeling. My kids might remember a certain player’s number, but I only remember very few player’s numbers. I’m pretty good with faces and names, but I very rarely remember a number.”
He remarked how he never calls his players by their number. He knows they are more than just a number.
“That would just be offensive,” Campbell said.
When asked if there was a certain reason for their choice of number, both Pickens and Delaney said they chose the next available jersey. 10 happened to be available when Delaney got to Union, and since it was the number she previously wore for four years, she decided to keep it the same.
“Honestly, freshman year of high school, when I got it, it was the only one they had, and it didn’t really have that much meaning,” Delaney said. “It doesn’t have a significance as far as a number. It’s just cool now that I have had the same number for such a long time.”
Pickens chose 12 simply because her number growing up was 11, but she remarked that she would have chosen any number because it is just a number. She reflected on how her number holds meaning to her now, not because of her time as an individual player, but because it reminds her of the team she has been a part of.
“Since I have been the same number during college, it brings back all those memories when I play,” said Pickens. “Me being a part of that culture, environment, and the memory of being on my team.”
Often times, a player can find their identity in who they are as an athlete. Their number is one easy way to make them stand out individually. It sets them apart because they are the only one on the team wearing that number.
This takes away from the team aspect, though. I’m sure you have all heard the saying, “there is no I in team.” A team works together, wins together, loses together and grows together. When given a number, sometimes it can tear apart a team because a player can find their identity in their number. It becomes all about the player and his/her success rather than the greater success of the team. It is easy to forget that there are other numbers on the team, too.
Pickens was adamant about athletes finding their identity in Christ and not in their own status as a player. She said her number represents her as a player, and people on the team might refer to her as “12” in the dugout to cheer her on, but she knows she is more than that number. Her number is an opportunity.
“Your number is your confidence in your role,” said Pickens. “What you wear is just a jersey, but it says Bulldogs, not Kristen. My number is not my identity. It’s more like asking yourself, ‘what is my role on this team?’ instead of individual effort.”
Coach Campbell believes a number is just another way to individualize a player.
“It’s pretty easy to think about ourselves,” said Campbell. “It’s the easiest thing in life. We just have a lot of self love. Me too. Everybody does.”
He explained that getting a number is a privilege because it means you are given the chance to be on a team. He pulled out his Bible, sitting there on his desk, and flipped through the pages until he read 2 Corinthians 10:5, the latter half saying to “take every thought captive and submit it to Christ.” He believes players, as well as anyone, have to do this on a daily basis to be reminded that what they are doing is for the glory of God and not man.
Earlier I mentioned two ways to view a number on a jersey. There is, however, a third point of view about the importance of a number. When I played basketball, the number had no significance to me. I would have taken any number if it meant I was a part of that team. When I received my jersey, 14 meant nothing to me at the time. Yet, after years of hard work, countless hours in the gym, and memories with my teammates, 14 is now a reminder of some of the most valuable moments to me during my high school career. You see, a number allows an athlete to be a part of something bigger than themselves. While an athlete represents one number and their teammates represent different numbers, their numbers are all under the same name, have the same colors and stand for the same thing.
“Like your name, you didn’t choose it, but you’re confident now and you answer to it, and it is who you are,” said Pickens. “With your number, it makes you feel a part of something bigger. Whichever number you have doesn’t matter, but when you get to be one, take ownership of it. I’m number 12, and I’m gonna be the best number 12 ever while I can. It’s a sense of something bigger.”
So, what does a number mean? You decide. But the Union Bulldogs seem to realize that there is no significance in the number alone. Put that number with other numbers, though, and it creates a team. And a team is there to work hard and work together, no matter the numbers on their backs.
Illustration by Maggie Exum