As with the case of many schools, Menlo is rich in traditions. But not all of these traditions are universally liked and some spark debates about their impact; one being the jersey-giving within Menlo athletic teams. Jersey-giving varies depending on the team’s captains and rituals. Specific members of teams generally must give out their alternate jersey on the day of a game to a person either of their choosing or of the team’s choosing.

Freshman McKinley Harding, a member of the varsity flag football team, has mixed feelings about the tradition. For her, though it’s fun to see people attend games in the jerseys of players, giving out jerseys during lunch is usually awkward. “It can be a little embarrassing when you have to take photos […] and everyone watches,” Harding said.

Harding would prefer the option to give her jersey to a friend rather than being assigned a person who is, in most cases, a senior. According to Harding, this way she is already at least familiar with the person wearing her jersey to her game.

Senior Audrey Hochstetler, who plays on the varsity soccer team, understands the awkwardness but also finds the tradition to be engaging and increase attendance at a soccer game. Because the soccer team assigns underclassmen a senior to wear their jersey instead of letting them choose, Hotchstetler feels the experience is more comfortable for players who otherwise wouldn’t know who to give their jersey to.

Senior Ryan Jabal, who plays football and runs track at Menlo, views jersey-giving as a way to increase attendance at Menlo sports games, especially considering the recipients often encourage their friends to attend too.

Jabal understands the controversy of jersey-giving but ultimately agrees that the tradition increases crowd spirit and should be continued. “As long as no student is being pressured or forced into giving their jersey away, it should remain a fun and light-hearted tradition that builds spirit at Menlo,” Jabal said.

While senior Lauren Mrva agrees that the tradition of jersey-giving incentivizes students to attend Menlo sports games, she ultimately believes that teams requiring players to give out their jerseys creates unnecessary stress for those students. Mrva feels that there is an unspoken rule that students have to give their jerseys to members of the opposite sex that they are romantically interested in.

Mrva, who plays on the varsity volleyball team, believes that the stigma surrounding players giving their jerseys to friends instead should be dismantled.