Self-identification takes on many forms, and in the sporting world, part of your identity is the number on your jersey. How much that particular number means to you will vary from player to player, but it does hold significant weight for many.
So it can be a problem when players change teams and they go to a team with a player who already has the same number. Under most circumstances, the player with seniority—and/or a fatter paycheck—will end up keeping the number whether he’s the new guy on the team or not.
That’s not what happened when defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.