I used to wear jerseys, not to feel like a winner or any other superficial reason. I wore them because they looked good and were very comfortable. I haven't in a while because they've been packed away somewhere.
And Mark has spoken out about the Saints before. And, as I recall, he was met with the same criticism.
Trust me on this. In Louisiana and most of Mississippi, it's treated as almost blasphemous if you're a football fan who doesn't like the Saints.

Jersey wearing seems like a form of idolatry to me. I can't understand the need to walk around in part of a replica of someone's work uniform. The jersey is meant to identify members of a team during the performance of a sports activity. People may respect Earl the car mechanic but I doubt that anyone is wearing a replica of his uniform at the mall and discussing his ability to solve car problems.

It's almost blaspemous to worship fleur-de-lis, horse shoes, stars, and arrowheads, bears, etc. Sports people are put on a pedestal until they make a mistake such as Brett Favre throwing an interception in the last minutes of a game or Tiger Woods creeping on his wife. Buying a jersey is only going to make Reebok, the NFL, and the teams richer.

Mark the calendar. I totally agree with Ars here. I feel the same way about autographs.

Ars, there is some truth to what you are saying. I guess a lot of it has to do with maybe living out a dream that you could not otherwise do. It is not the same as the uniform of the guy at the gas station or Taco Bell or McDonalds or the local dry cleaner. The teams themselves help to define a community in many ways and I think that the jersey is just a way of saying hey I am a part of that community. Now I would say that if you show up at a game without one it does not in anyway make you any less of a fan. It is just one of those things that becomes a personal choice. I don't buy a lot of the jersey's mostly due to the cost of the darn things, but as I said I do have a few, a couple of which were in fact gifts. I do tend to buy a lot of t-shirts because I am in jeans and t-shirts out side of work, so why not dress it up with your favorite team or player?

I suppose there is also that part of many of us who live out our own dreams of playing...dreams never achieved. You know like the parent who did not play sports but gets his or her thrills by watching their kids do well.

For me sports has been a part of my life for many years, as a player, then as a broadcaster and always as a fan. To wear the Colts, White Sox, Pacers or Irish colors is just a way of saying I am a part of the followers of all of the above.

I do not worship anyone but God. I just like the Saints. my shirts are not player jersey's, although my teenage son has one. He asked for it for Christmas.

Peace and goodwill.

I don't know about the auto guy, but a lot of people wear camouflage who aren't in military service or part of some militia group. Likewise, scrubs were very popular at one time among people who have never had a desire to be doctors, nurses, or even orderlies.
Treat it like what it is, a piece of clothing, and it won't be an issue. Have either of you guys linking jerseys to idolatry ever worn a baseball cap with a team logo on it? Have you ever owned a NASCAR jacket or specialty car tag?
Pennants, coffee mugs, posters, bumper stickers, key chains, foam fingers, noise sticks, ticket stubs, photographs, Gameday books and all other sports paraphernalia must go.
Oh, and just so we're not applying double standards, the same must be said of anything you own as it relates to music.
You might want to go through your closets and trash every T-shirt or pullover that has a photo or name of your favorite artist. And while you're at it, dump all those festival shirts that have a date, venue and list of artists who performed.
Of course, there are some people who do pretty much worship the players and teams they support. After all, "fan" is merely a shortened version of fanatic.
It is true that the leagues and teams make money off this stuff. But I don't think that's a good reason to refuse to buy. If you subscribe to cable or satellite that carries a channel that broadcasts NFL games, the league is making money off you. Likewise, if you buy products made by companies that sponsor NFL games, you're paying the league.
I respect your decision not to buy or wear jerseys. That's a personal choice. But to judge the people who do is as immoral as the idolatry you accuse them of.

Oh my goodness Jazzwriter, your right! Does that mean I have to burn my copy of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition with Danica Patrick on the Cover? Well it doesn't have much to do with racing or sports but it does keep this old man's heart beating!

I do agree with you by the way, I have collected shirts from The Rippingtons, Spyro Gyra, Acoustic Alchemy and a few others over the years from concerts we have attended. Seemed like nice to remember the event, not any form of worship.

Oh I do have my Colts AFC championship tee shirt from this year...but that is not to worship the Colts or Mr Manning....but rather to have proof that we did in fact last longer in the playoffs then the Eagles, The Patriots, the Steelers, the Ravens, the Bengals, the Chargers or the Jets! That is just in case anyone out there wants to rewrite history and deny that the event ever took place!!

Wearing camouflage or scrubs is not the same thing as wearing, for example, a military uniform which bears the rank, name, and identification of a soldier that took an oath and earned the right to wear the uniform. Wearing scrubs is not the same thing as trying to pass yourself off as an MD who trained and studied and earned the right to have the MD after the name pinned to their scrubs. The NFL has allowed, for profit, people who haven't spent the hours training in the gym and practicing on the field to demonstrate their man-crush. Guys are now able to prance around in a Tony Romo jersey like Jessica Simpson use to do.

The Steelers have more Super Bowl titles than the Colts. In the Peyton Manning era, Tom Brady has a 3-1 Super Bowl record and Ben Rothlisberger has a 2-0 Super Bowl record. That's some history for you. Peyton Manning is good but don't perform apotheosis.

Unlike, say, the NBA, an NFL player's individual greatness cannot be defined by how many championships they have. While they are certainly a key leader, with a 53 man roster it doesn't carry as much weight. For a single game with the players in their prime, I would rather have Dan Marino running my offense over Ben Rothlesberger or Troy Aikman anyday. I'd take Marino over Tom Brady too. That's like 9 Superbowl trophys versus 0. Colts have won more than anybody the last decade.

I know a lot of people who wear jerseys, and to my knowledge, not a single one of them attempts to pass himself - or herself (women other than Jessica Simpson wear them, too) - off as an NFL player. They're just people who like to wear shirts that represent a favorite team or a favorite player.
Also, there are other forms of worship than wearing something. Heaping praises upon a particular player - Favre, for example - could be seen as a form of idolatry.
Judge ye not let ye be judged.