The Winners

Jersey 16 is Benji’s jersey number. He wore this number through the first two books in the series, both while playing with Kevin and without him. When he returns to Beartown, it becomes clear that Coach Zackell has been reserving the jersey number for him. No one has played with it since he has left, and although she never approaches him or asks him to rejoin the team, the narrator shares that the only time in her coaching career that she lets another person play with 16 on their jersey is the first time Alicia plays for the national team.

The jersey, and the legacy it gains after Benji’s death, symbolizes how important Benji was to the people who knew him. It represents that he is constantly in the thoughts of his loved ones even as they heal from the trauma of his death. By holding his jersey number from being selected by another player, Zackell makes a symbolic space for Benji on every team she coaches.

In some ways, this holding of the jersey number is like the retirement of numbers that occurs in some sports leagues. Some sports organizations “retire” a player’s jersey number after they stop playing or after their death as a reflection of an impactful career.