Letterman (sports)

In sports or activities in the United States, a letterman is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation or performance on a varsity team.

A common threshold in American football and basketball is participation in a set level, often half, of all quarters in a season.

In individual sports such as tennis and golf, the threshold for lettering is generally participation in one half or sometimes two-thirds of all matches contested.

A letter jacket is a baseball-styled jacket traditionally worn by high school and college students in the United States to represent school and team pride as well as to display personal awards earned in athletics, academics or activities.

The body (i.e., torso) is usually of boiled wool and the sleeves of leather with banded wrists and waistband.

Varsity jackets trace their origins to letter sweaters, first introduced by the Harvard University baseball team in 1865.

In schools where only varsity letters are awarded this is usually the practice in a student's junior or senior year.

Recently, many student-athletes have been awarded letters during their sophomore and sometimes freshman year, leading to the need for a jacket much sooner.