Does This Number Make Me Look FAST?

I’LL TELL YOU A SECRET: I really don’t care about football. Gasp! Did I say that out loud?

That’s right. Apart from taking in an occasional cycling tour or soccer match, I don’t watch sports.

Yet, I’m fascinated by the intersection of human perception and performance. 

So, when the LA Times recently highlighted an academic study validating a current trend in football. My interest was piqued.

Prior to 2004, NFL wide receivers were restricted to wearing jersey numbers between 80 to 89. But these numbers made them appear fat — not fast.

Players wanted other options. Then the rule changed.

Numbers 10 to 19 became options. As of 2019, 79.4% of receivers now sport a number in the teens.

"The teens, those are for the skill positions. Those are the people with the most swag and stuff like that. I guess that's kind of where it came from. It started to be a universal thing." — DJ Chark Jr.

A new academic study validates this.

In the UCLA experiment, subjects said that players in jerseys numbered from 10 to 19 looked thinner than those in jerseys numbered from 80 to 89 — everything else being equal.

The takeaway: The choice of a player’s number influences their perception of body size. 

And if “look good, feel good, play good” has any validity, a skill player could affect his performance by choosing a low number.

“How we perceive the world is considerably influenced by our prior knowledge. There may be more behind these observations than simple, random preferences of athletes.” — UCLA Study

Neuroscience suggests that many regular experiences stored in the brain shape future perception. The behavior we see in others is rooted in hidden cognitive perceptions.

To find meaningful insights, we must dig for these deeper motivations.