10 (number) - in Sports and Games

In Sports and Games

The meaning "10" is part of the following terms:

• decathlon, a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events.

Also, the number 10 plays a role in the following:

• In American football, the end zones are 10 yards deep.
• In association football, the number 10 is traditionally worn by the team's playmaker. This use has led to "Number 10" becoming a synonym for that particular player, even if he or she does not wear that number.
• In Australian rules football, considered the break even amount of games won in a regular 22 game season.
• In baseball, 10 is the minimum number of players on the field at any given time during play (including the batter).
• In basketball:
  • The top of the rim (goal) is 10 feet from the floor.
  • In standard full-court basketball, there are 10 players on the court (5 on each team).
• In blackjack, the Ten, Jack, Queen and King are all worth 10 points.
• In cricket, 10 is the number of wickets required to be taken by the bowling side for the batting side to be bowled out.
• In gridiron football, 10 is the number of yards the offense must advance to maintain possession in a single set of downs—four in American and three in Canadian.
• In most rugby league competitions, the number 10 is worn by one of the two starting props. (One exception to this rule is the European Super League, which uses static squad numbering.)
• In rugby union, the starting fly-half wears the 10 shirt.
• In ten-pin bowling, 10 pins are arranged in a triangular pattern and there are 10 frames per game.
• The highest score possible in Olympics gymnastics competitions.
• Driving a racing car at ten-tenths is driving as fast as possible, on the limit.

The jersey number 10 has been retired by several North American sports teams in honor of past playing greats or other key figures:

• In Major League Baseball:
  • The Chicago Cubs, for Hall of Famer Ron Santo.
  • The Cincinnati Reds, for Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson.
  • The Kansas City Royals, for manager Dick Howser.
  • The Minnesota Twins, for manager Tom Kelly.
  • The Montreal Expos, first for Rusty Staub and later for Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. The team has since relocated and become the Washington Nationals; after initially announcing that it would reissue numbers retired in Montreal, the team reversed itself.
  • The New York Yankees, for Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto, who went on to spend four decades as a Yankees radio and TV broadcaster.
  • The St. Louis Cardinals, for manager Tony La Russa.
• In the NBA:
  • The Boston Celtics, for Jo Jo White.
  • The Chicago Bulls, for Bob Love.
  • The Detroit Pistons, for Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. Greg Monroe, who currently wears the number, is allowed to continue wearing it.
  • The Miami Heat, for Tim Hardaway.
  • The New York Knicks, for Hall of Famer Walt Frazier, who also served as a Knicks broadcaster after his playing career.
  • The Philadelphia 76ers, for Maurice Cheeks, who also served as the team's head coach.
  • The Seattle SuperSonics, for Nate McMillan, who also served as the team's head coach. The team has since relocated to become the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Thunder have yet to issue any number retired by the franchise in Seattle.
  • The Washington Wizards, for Hall of Famer Earl Monroe, who played for the team in its past incarnation as the Baltimore Bullets.
• In the NFL:
  • The Atlanta Falcons, for Steve Bartkowski.
  • The Minnesota Vikings, for Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton.
• In the NHL:
  • The Carolina Hurricanes, for Hall of Famer Ron Francis.
  • The Detroit Red Wings, for Hall of Famer Alex Delvecchio.
  • The Montreal Canadiens, for Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur.
  • The first NHL incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets, for Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk. The Jets have since reincarnated and have continued to honour the numbers retired by the initial franchise in Winnipeg.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have a policy of not retiring numbers unless the player honoured either died or suffered a career-ending incident while a member of the team. Other players whose numbers would otherwise be retired instead have their numbers enshrined by the team as "Honoured Numbers", which remain in circulation for future players. The number 10 is currently honoured for Hall of Famers Syl Apps and George Armstrong.
• The jersey number 10 has also been retired by the men's basketball program of the University of North Carolina for Lennie Rosenbluth.