5 (number) - Sports

Sports

• The Olympic Games have five interlocked rings as their symbol, representing the number of inhabited continents represented by the Olympians (counting North America and South America as one continent).
• Five-a-side football is a variation of association football in which each team fields five players.
• The jersey number 5 has been retired by several North American sports teams in honor of past playing greats or other key figures:
  • In Major League Baseball:
    • The Baltimore Orioles, for Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.
    • The Cincinnati Reds have retired the number twice. The first was in 1940 for Willard Hershberger, who committed suicide during the season. The number was returned to service in 1942, and was later retired a second time for Hall of Famer Johnny Bench.
    • The Cleveland Indians, for Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau.
    • The Detroit Tigers, for Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg.
    • The Houston Astros, for Jeff Bagwell.
    • The Kansas City Royals, for Hall of Famer George Brett.
    • The New York Yankees, for Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio.
    • The Florida Marlins retired the number for their first president Carl Barger, who died in December 1992, four months before the team's first game. The number was chosen because DiMaggio was Barger's favorite player. When the team renamed itself the Miami Marlins in advance of its 2012 move to a new stadium, it decided to honor Barger with a plaque at the new park and placed the number into circulation.
  • In the NBA:
    • The Phoenix Suns, for Dick Van Arsdale.
  • In the NHL:
    • The Boston Bruins, for Hall of Famer Dit Clapper.
    • The Montreal Canadiens, for Hall of Famer Bernie Geoffrion.
    • The New York Islanders, for Hall of Famer Denis Potvin.
    • The Toronto Maple Leafs, for Bill Barilko. The Leafs have a unique policy of not retiring numbers unless the player honoured either died or suffered a career-ending incident while a member of the team. Barilko disappeared while on a fishing trip in 1951; his presumed death was confirmed when the wreckage of the plane he was on was discovered in a remote section of Ontario in 1962.
    • The Washington Capitals, for Hall of Famer Rod Langway.
  • In the NFL:
    • The Chicago Bears, for Hall of Famer George McAfee.
• In baseball scorekeeping, the number 5 represents the third baseman's position.
• In basketball:
  • The number 5 is used to represent the position of center.
  • The number of players of a basketball team on the court at a given time. Thus, the phrase five on five is commonly used to describe standard competitive basketball.
  • The "5-second rule" refers to several related rules designed to promote continuous play. In all cases, violation of the rule results in a turnover.
    • In all major rulesets, a team has 5 seconds to release the ball toward the court on a throw-in.
    • In all major rulesets except that of the NBA, a "closely guarded" player has 5 seconds to shoot, pass, or penetrate past the defender.
    • In the NBA only, a player cannot dribble with his back or side to the basket for more than 5 seconds.
    • Under FIBA rules, a player has 5 seconds to attempt a free throw. (North American rulesets allow 10 seconds.)
• In Formula One racing, the number 5 & 6 cars traditionally belonged to the Williams team, until the end of the 1995 Formula One season. It was most synonymous with Nigel Mansell in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
• In hockey, the area between the goaltender's legs is known as the five-hole.
• In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the #5 car has been owned by Hendrick Motorsports since 1984. Drivers who have raced in this car during this period include:
  • Geoff Bodine (1984–1989)
  • Ricky Rudd (1990–1993)
  • Terry Labonte (1994–2004, including a Cup Series title in 1996)
  • Ron Hornaday, Jr. drove #5 in one race in 2000 that Labonte missed due to injury.
  • Todd Bodine, younger brother of Geoff, drove #5 in another race in 2000 that Labonte missed due to injury.
  • Kyle Busch (2005–2007)
  • Casey Mears (2008)
  • Mark Martin (2009–2011)
  • Kasey Kahne (2012–).
• In professional wrestling, if a wrestler grabs the ropes when he is in a submission hold, the attacking wrestler has up to a 5 count to break the hold until a disqualification is made. This is also the case for choking.
• In rugby league:
  • In most competitions, the starting left wing wears this number. An exception is the European Super League, which uses static squad numbering.
  • The number of tackles the attacking team has to score a try before the handover.
• In rugby union:
  • The number of points awarded for a try.
  • The number of the starting lock forward who usually jumps at number 4 in the line-out in rugby union.
  • The playing field contains two lines that are each 5 metres from the try line. These are significant because no scrum can be set between this line and the try line.
• The number of kyu (pupil) grades in judo.