A letterman, in U.S. activities/sports, is a high school or college
student who has met a specified level of participation or performance
on a varsity team.The term comes from the practice of awarding each
such participant a cloth "letter", which is usually the school's
initial or initials, for placement on a "letter sweater" or "letter
jacket" intended for the display of such an award. In some instances,
the sweater or jacket itself may also be awarded, especially for the
initial award to a given individual. Today, in order to distinguish
"lettermen" from other team participants, schools often establish a
minimum level of participation in a team's events or a minimum level
of performance in order for a letter to be awarded. A common threshold
in American football and basketball is participation in a set level,
often half, of all quarters in a season. In individual sports such as
tennis and golf, the threshold for lettering is generally
participation in one half or sometimes two-thirds of all matches
contested. Frequently, other members of the team who fail to meet
requirements for a letter are awarded a certificate of participation
or other award considered to be of lesser value than a letter.The term
comes from the practice of awarding each such participant a cloth
"letter", which is usually the school's initial or initials, for
placement on a "letter sweater" or "letter jacket" intended for the
display of such an award. In some instances, the sweater or jacket
itself may also be awarded, especially for the initial award to a
given individual. Today, in order to distinguish "lettermen" from
other team participants, schools often establish a minimum level of
participation in a team's events or a minimum level of performance in
order for a letter to be awarded. A common threshold in American
football and basketball is participation in a set level, often half,
of all quarters in a season. In individual sports such as tennis and
golf, the threshold for lettering is generally participation in one
half or sometimes two-thirds of all matches contested. Frequently,
other members of the team who fail to meet requirements for a letter
are awarded a certificate of participation or other award considered
to be of lesser value than a letter.Some schools continue to base the
awarding of letters according to performance, in team sports requiring
a certain number of touchdowns, catches, scores, steals, baskets or
tackles, according to position and sport. In individual sports letters
are often determined according to qualification for state meets or
tournaments. Other schools award letters on a more subjective basis,
with the head coach, usually with the input of other coaches and
sometimes student team leaders who have already lettered, awarding
letters for substantial improvement as well as significant performance
on or off the field. This places much more emphasis on character,
commitment and teamwork as well as, and often in place of, simply
playing enough or meeting some other time or performance requirement.
Sometimes in high schools academic performance in classes can also be
an element. This philosophy gives more focus to developing and
rewarding a well-rounded and balanced player, where other methods
focus strictly on athletic performance and on the field victories.
This term is not gender-specific; a qualifying participant in women's
basketball or other women's sports is properly referred to as a
letterman, as would be a qualifying female participant on a
co-educational sports team. An athlete who is awarded a letter (or
letters in multiple sports) is said to have "lettered" when they
receive their letter.In recent years, some schools have expanded the
concept of letterman beyond sports, providing letters for performance
in performing arts, academics, or other school activities. Letterman (sports) Top Movies & Young Movies