In a surprising twist, a recent study by UCLA researchers has discovered a link between the perception of a football player’s size and the number on their jersey. The study, set to be published in the journal PLOS One, exposed subjects to images of different jersey numbers and found that the smaller the number, the more likely individuals were to perceive the player as slimmer. This finding supports the long-standing belief among some wide receivers that they look better when wearing low numbers. The study’s lead researcher, Ladan Shams, expressed her surprise at the robustness of this connection. She also suggested that the brain’s ability to make associations between numbers and size could contribute to implicit bias in decision-making.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38343968/study-finds-influence-smaller-jersey-numbers-perception