Retired number

Common card · No. 200894

Retiring the number of an athlete is an honor a team bestows upon a player, usually after the player has left the team, retires from the sport, or dies, by taking the number formerly worn on their uniform out of circulation. Once a number is retired, no future player from the team may wear it, unless the original player permits it; however, in many cases the number cannot be used at all. Such an honor may also be bestowed on players who had highly memorable careers, died prematurely under tragic circumstances, or have had their promising careers ended by serious injury. Some sports that retire team numbers include baseball, cricket, ice hockey, basketball, American football, and association football. Retired numbers are often referred to as "hanging from the rafters" as they are so displayed in the team's home venue, either emblazoned on jerseys with the players' names or made into appropriately colored/styled banners. It is often considered the "greatest/highest honor" individual teams...

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