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From J Rutledge on the basketball board 11/17/04 (it was closed shotly thereafter) -
I will keep it to officiating for a second.
Name one white official that has facial hair at the D1 or pro levels of any league?
I cannot name one.
Guess what, I can name several African-Americans that do.
Johnny Grier--NFL (there is another Black Referee or White hat that has a mustache; I just do not know his name right now).
Steve Paman--Big Ten Football
Danny Crawford--NBA
Tom Rucker--D1 Official retired
Donny Gray--D1 Basketball Official, Big Ten, ACC and Conference USA to name a few.
(There is even one in the Big East, but I do not know his name)
I can only speak for my sport, baseball, but there are hundreds of D-1 umpires with facial hair. Most of them have moustaches, a few have goatees and a couple sport full beards. Some shave because it is more comfortable wearing a facemask, others don't shave for the same reason. I can think of a handful of Minor League and Major Leaguers that have moustaches, as well. None of these umps are black.
I'm also aware of a condition called "nubs" that afflicts african americans and blacks worldwide. The facial hair is coarse and curls back into the skin, often painfully, causing in grown hairs. This may be another reason why most prefer to keep clean shaven in a world of sweat and stress.
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