Quote:
Originally posted by Strike3UROUT
My beard is neat and trimmed and I've had it for over 20 years so I'm not shaving. If you can do a consistent job and can show respect for your profession I would think worrying about a beard with be the least of their concerns. If not then more power to them!!
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As I stated earlier, my comments and this discussion was not about baseball. I have seen many people wear facial hair in baseball (white umpires to be specific) and almost never see anyone other than African-Americans wear a mustache in football and basketball ranks.
Danny Crawford (African-American) of the NBA spoke at the IHSA Convention this past summer. He said that it was hard for him to get rid of his beard (or goatee) when he was moving up. It was clear he was not going to work that level if he did not do so. Well he obviously does not have a beard anymore, he just has a mustache.
Appearance on your face is not much different than what your body type looks like. It is clear that the NBA for example is not hiring officials that have beer bellies. Even if you look at the NFL or many D1 Football conferences, they are not hiring guys that are excessively overweight. They might hire someone that is naturally big, but that is about as far as it goes. I do not know that I would care if someone were to offer me a 6 figure income to officiate a sport and keeping facial hair just for principled reasons.
Peace