size 48

[flaco1801]

seems to me size 48 is the smallest size jersey worn today.

[Neely8]

In what sport? I have several Reds game worn jerseys that are 46's and some Rams game worn jerseys that are 44's.

[allstarsplus]

Definitely some size 46 out there like Alfonso Soriano and I think Soriano has worn some 44 too.

There are plenty of Cornerbacks in the NFL that wear size 42 as I have some Darrell Green jerseys that confirm that (although he is now retired).

I would agree that size 48 seems to be the most popular size in baseball.

[34swtns]

The Ronde Barber jersey I just got is a size 40.

[TNTtoys]

This really depends upon which sport you're talking about. For example, if you take baseball and football jerseys...

Football: You tend to see smaller sizes because players wear their jerseys 'skin tight' so that the opposition has nothing to grab onto. I have seen a fair few big guys squeezing into 42s through 46s.

Baseball: Players like to wear these a little bit more baggy, so it's likely you will see more 48s and 50s. Larger players wear 52s (some even bigger). You would also see some 44s and 46s but they are fewer these days than the 48s+

And from what I have seen (though I am no expert), hockey jerseys tend to run very large. Size 52+ seems to be common. Any hockey experts care to shine light on why such large sizes are preferred?

[Neely8]

And from what I have seen (though I am no expert), hockey jerseys tend to run very large. Size 52+ seems to be common. Any hockey experts care to shine light on why such large sizes are preferred?

Size 52 in modern hockey jerseys is pretty much unheard of these days. They were fairly common throughout the 80's and 90's but not anymore. Today you will be lucky to find 54's and the vast majority of current NHL hockey jerseys are 56, 58 and some 60's.

[Jags Fan Dan]

Warrick Dunn wore a 38!

[sox83cubs84]

Speaking for the three major leagues, currently MLB has a handful of players taking 42s and a few more taking 44s, but I would agree that 48 is a pretty normal size these days.

Of course, sizing was figured differently in the "good old days". In the 1960s, players such as Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams were often outfitted in size 40 flannels. One of Don Drysdale's last jerseys (1969 Dodgers) was a 46, which today is considered slightly diminutive by MLB standards.

Warrick Dunn at a 38 is the smallest that I can remember offhand in the current NFL. The tailoring done to make the jerseys skin tight makes comparisons more difficult, as the era of Jim Brown, Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus didn't feature lineman's cuts, skill position cuts, and the like on a regular basis like we have today.

Many older (1950s/60s) NBA jerseys were 38s and 40s, with untagged extra length. These days, I have seen a few 44s (Allan Iverson comes to mind, and he took a 42 pre-Reebok). Today's NBA players, for the most part, like loose fitting unies, unlike throwback John Stockton, who wore 40s and 42s during his illustrious career.

It's my own arbitrary figure, but I consider the late 1980s/1990 to be the turning point for sizes ballooning up.

Dave M.
Chicago area