Learn Hardcore German: Jede Mannschaft trägt ein anderes Trikot, damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt. - Each team wears a different jersey so that you can easily recognize the players.

In the sentence Jede Mannschaft trägt ein anderes Trikot, the idea is:
“For every single team, its jersey is different from the others.”
That fits well with jede, which emphasizes each individual team.

You could say Alle Mannschaften tragen verschiedene Trikots, which would be understood, but it changes the structure and style of the sentence slightly and doesn’t line up as neatly with ein anderes Trikot (“a different jersey [from the others]” for each team).

Why is it trägt and not something like hat or hat an?

In German, the usual verb for “to wear (clothing)” is tragen.

ein Trikot tragen = to wear a jersey
Kleider tragen = to wear dresses
eine Brille tragen = to wear glasses

You can say etwas anhaben (“to have something on”), but tragen is the standard, neutral verb for clothing.

Jede Mannschaft trägt ein anderes Trikot.
= Each team wears a different jersey.
Jede Mannschaft hat ein anderes Trikot an.
= Each team has on a different jersey. (more colloquial)

Why is it ein anderes Trikot and not ein anderer Trikot or eine andere Trikot?

Because Trikot is neuter in German: das Trikot.

In the sentence, ein anderes Trikot is a direct object → accusative case, neuter, singular, with an indefinite article (ein).

Adjective endings in that pattern (neuter, accusative, after ein) are:

ein anderes Trikot

Compare:

das andere Trikot (neuter, accusative, with definite article)
ein anderes Hemd (same pattern: neuter)
eine andere Mannschaft (feminine → -e ending)
einen anderen Spieler (masculine accusative → -en ending)

So anderes is exactly the correct neuter-accusative form here.

Why is there a comma before damit?

Damit here is a subordinating conjunction introducing a subordinate clause (a purpose clause: “so that …”).

In German, every subordinate clause is separated from the main clause by a comma. So:

Main clause: Jede Mannschaft trägt ein anderes Trikot,
Subordinate clause: damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt.

Rule:
Main clause , subordinating conjunction + subordinate clause.
So the comma is required before damit.

What exactly does damit mean here, and how is it different from um … zu or so dass?

In this sentence, damit introduces a purpose clause:

damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt
= so that one can recognize the players easily

Comparison:

damit
- finite verb (a full clause with subject and conjugated verb)
- Jede Mannschaft trägt ein anderes Trikot, damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt.
um … zu
- infinitive (no subject, no conjugated verb in that clause)
- Jede Mannschaft trägt ein anderes Trikot, um die Spieler leicht zu erkennen.

Both can express purpose (“in order to”), but:

damit is used if you want/need to state a subject in the purpose clause (here: man).
um … zu is more compact and doesn’t have its own subject.

So dass usually introduces a result or consequence, not a purpose:

Jede Mannschaft trägt ein anderes Trikot, sodass man die Spieler leicht erkennt.
= “Each team wears a different jersey, with the result that you can easily recognize the players.”
Here the focus is more on the result than on the intention.

What does man mean, and why is it used instead of du or sie?

German man is a generic pronoun, like English one, you in a general sense, or people.

damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt
= “so that you / people / one can easily recognize the players”

It does not refer to “a man” (male person). That is der Mann.

Why not du?

du is informal “you” (a specific person). The sentence is not talking to a particular person; it’s generally true for anyone watching the game. So man is better.

Why not sie?

sie could be “she” or “they”. That would sound like “so that they easily recognize the players” (who? the teams? the players themselves?). That’s not what is meant.

So man is neutral, general: anyone who is watching.

Why is the verb at the end in damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt?

Because damit introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses the conjugated verb goes to the end.

Structure:

damit (subordinating conjunction)
man (subject)
die Spieler (object)
leicht (adverb)
erkennt (verb, at the end)

In contrast, in a main clause the verb normally comes in second position:

Man erkennt die Spieler leicht. (main clause → erkennt in position 2)

But once you have damit, you must move erkennt to the end:

…, damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt.

Could I say damit man leicht die Spieler erkennt instead? Is that wrong?

It’s not wrong, but it sounds a bit less natural in this context.

Word order with adverbs and objects in German is relatively flexible, but there is a default tendency:

Pronouns
Nouns (objects)
Adverbs of manner (how? → leicht)

So:

Very natural: damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt
Also possible but marked: damit man leicht die Spieler erkennt

The second version puts a bit more emphasis on leicht, but in normal, neutral speech the original order would be preferred.

Why is it die Spieler and not den Spieler?

Because Spieler here is plural:

der Spieler = the player (singular, masculine)
die Spieler = the players (plural)

The sentence is about recognizing all the players on a team, not just one player. So German uses the plural:

man erkennt die Spieler
= “one recognizes the players”

In the accusative plural, the article for masculine nouns is die (same as nominative plural):

nominative plural: die Spieler spielen.
accusative plural: man erkennt die Spieler.

What does leicht mean here? Is it “light” or “easy”?

In this context, leicht means “easily” / “with little difficulty”, not “light” (as in “not heavy”).

damit man die Spieler leicht erkennt
= “so that one can easily recognize the players”

German leicht can mean:

“light (not heavy)” – ein leichter Koffer (a light suitcase)
“easy” – Das ist leicht. (That’s easy.)
“easily” – as an adverb, like in our sentence

Why is it Jede Mannschaft and not Jeder Mannschaft or Jedem Mannschaft?

Because Mannschaft is:

feminine: die Mannschaft
here in nominative singular (it’s the subject)

The adjective-like word jede must match case, gender, and number:

Feminine nominative singular → jede
- Jede Mannschaft spielt heute.
Feminine accusative singular → jede
- Ich sehe jede Mannschaft.

If Mannschaft were masculine or neuter, the form would change:

Masculine nominative: jeder Spieler
Neuter nominative: jedes Trikot

So Jede Mannschaft is correct because Mannschaft is feminine and the subject of the sentence.