re: New #18 has been announced...

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Who cares who gets #18 or even #7 for that matter. Childish BS as we saw how the hand me down of the #7 did not work out for that transfer receiver and it did not work on Delpit. Wear your own number and quit worrying about a number

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I get what you are saying.

But the tradition of #18 isn't just about a number. I'd say it is less about the number and more of the awarding of it.

If #18 can be said to be about any one word that word is character. It takes a lot of character to come back from an injury.

So two things:
1. In this world mental strength and character should be something rewarded in young people.
2. It's a peer-to-peer tradition. Most traditions are the school and it's fans, including the team. This is by them, for them. Fame is being known to many across lines. Recognition is from your peers. The best rewards come from your peers... and being rewarded for character by your peers is a pretty high recognition.

To say to it needs to go away is to say that peer-to-peer recognition holds no value to us, the fans. Well, it should hold value to us. This is the team and coaches saying "this guy is the strongest mentally of us all". Why dismiss that out of hand when we gush over 5* rankings and yards per carry. Rankings are a recognition of potential; why should we care about that recognition but not one by our own team for high-character?