[BillyMac]

In my high school varsity game, if I were the referee and this kid wasn't wearing a warmup jacket, or shooting shirt, he wouldn't make it through one, or two, layup lines. If I were the umpire, or if he was wearing a pregame warmup jacket, or shooting shirt, he wouldn't make it to the jump ball circle for the opening tap, or if he were a substitute, he would be sent back to the bench.

If he were wearing it in a junior varsity game (in my little corner of Connecticut, varsity officials are supposed to observe at least the second and third periods of the preceding game), I would mention it to the officials as something they need to work on to get to the next level.

No excuse for this. Yes, we don't like being the Fashion Police (even me), but that doesn't mean we should ignore illegal undershirts. It's one of the most restrictive equipment color restrictions in the book (not many choices), but it's been simplified (no more school colors), and is also the easiest equipment color restriction in the book observe (must be similar in color to the uniform jersey).

From my recent IAABO Sportorial magazine article:

Rules regarding undershirts are the most restrictive, and should be the easiest to enforce by officials. Undershirts must be similar in color to the uniform jersey. According to NFHS rules, the home team must wear white uniform jerseys. Therefore, the only legal undershirt color for home players would be white, and only white. Players on the visiting team, wearing their dark road jerseys, must wear dark colored undershirts similar in color to their dark color uniform jerseys. “School color” doesn't apply to undershirts since “school color” is not mentioned in the current NFHS rulebook. Undershirts may not have frayed edges, and undershirt sleeves shall be the same length. Note that this rule does not require all players to wear the same length sleeves on their undershirts, but each individual player must have sleeves the same length on the undershirt when worn.

Some equipment restriction rules are for safety reasons. Rules that restrict equipment colors benefit officials by allowing them to easily identify players on each team during fast paced action. Consistency among officials in the enforcement of equipment restriction rules will provide a unified statement to coaches. When some officials choose not to enforce these rules, they are only hurting the profession and setting up the next crew for criticism from the coaches, when, in fact, the officials who did not enforce the rules are the ones who deserve the criticism. For those officials contemplating not enforcing equipment restrictions because such rules have “nothing to do with the game of basketball”, in the words of author Roy T. Bennett, “Stop doing what is easy, or popular. Start doing what is right”.

I did a scrimmage a few weeks ago and we weren't enforcing equipment colors (it was only a scrimmage). One player was wearing a long sleeve white undershirt under a green (reversible) scrimmage shirt. The other team was wearing white (reversible) scrimmage shirts. I had to pause a few times on bunches of players fighting for a rebound. Who was who? No way I'm allowing such equipment colors in my "real" games, the game is tough enough to officiate well when the players are wearing legal equipment colors.

Now, would somebody please help me down from this soapbox. It's pretty high up here and I'm getting dizzy.