What will sporting Vick's No. 7 say about the buyer?
PHILADELPHIA - Sports jerseys have been featured on the fashion runway, spliced into mini-dresses, worn with leggings and skinny jeans alike. They were the hot boys' staple until Jay-Z told men to grow up and wear button-downs.
But Michael Vick's Eagles jersey - in trendy forest green, white or black - may unintentionally prove to be the biggest fashion statement of all. Not since the fur coat has one article of clothing stood to evoke such heated commentary from both fan and foe.
Wear the jersey of the man who spent 18 months in prison for running a deadly dog-fighting operation, and observers may conclude that you are more concerned with sports than with animal's lives. It's not just sports garb that says, "I love my team," but a billboard that screams "Dogs, beware."
"They should just make the No. 7 a dog tail," said Kevin Moore, an Eagles fan who proudly owns a Donovan McNabb jersey but claims he wouldn't be caught dead in a Vick version.
Yet those who do plan to buy the jersey say those harsh judgments couldn't be further from the truth. For them, the No. 7 emblazoned on Eagles green is a testament to redemption.
Even if the Eagles' decision to give Vick a $1.6 million contract doesn't win a championship this season, the shirt has the potential to become a unifying factor.
