Red Shirts

According to Infoplease.com, in college sports a red shirt is an athlete who did not play in any games (at the coach's request), or was seriously injured during their first season. The "red-shirt" designation means that that season will not count against the player's four years of NCAA eligibility, allowing them to play four full seasons.

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Anyone who has watched the original Star Trek series (1966 – 1969) knows that a red shirt character is usually the first one to die. The term “red shirt” has become so ingrained in my family’s lexicon that when we watch a TV program we attempt to identify the designated red shirt.

I found an interesting article at Wired.com that reported being a "Red Shirt" on the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was one of the most dangerous jobs in any (imaginary) military. According to Wired.com 13.7% of Kirk’s crew died during their three-year televised mission; 73% of the deaths were Red Shirts.

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I knew that the "Red Shirt" was the first to go. It’s reassuring to know that there is statistical evidence to back up what I knew intuitively.