By Byron McCauley
Cincinnati Enquirer

Throwback sports jerseys and other items are all the rage. Starting at $275 and up, they are a favorite of athletes and entertainers, and, invariably, the latest must-have thing for the rest of us.

The back of a Wes Unseld Classic Jersey at the National Basketball Association corporate office in New York. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Thowbacks in four major sports are sold as replicas of the jerseys worn by sports stars of the past, using the same colors and fabrics.

This is a neat idea and a retailer's and manufacturer's dream.

But I hope the value placed on such items does not become unhealthy and destructive on a number of levels.

Ohio high school basketball superstar LeBron James got in trouble for taking two retro jerseys (a Wes Unseld [pictured] and a Gale Sayers, collectively valued at $845) at no charge from a sporting goods store. A Wednesday hearing will determine whether his amateur playing days are over.

If people can afford to purchase them, more power to them. In fact, I'm going to save up for a year and purchase a 1965 Gale Sayers myself. I'm no trend-setter, so perhaps when I'm ready to buy, the demand will be less and the price will have gone down.

Right now, though, Mitchell & Ness, the once-tiny Philadelphia sporting goods company ($23 million in sales last year), can't produce them fast enough.

The popularity of throwbacks reminds me of the first Air Jordans and Starter jackets of the '80s and '90s. Sadly, they became the coveted booty of robbers and gang status symbols. Let this not happen here.

Let's celebrate the spirit of the times that old-school jerseys represent. But most of all, let's keep their value in perspective.