Quote:
Originally Posted by Welpe
I'm not saying its an epidemic, just a trend I've been noticing. I don't think this one picture is influencing kids all over to tailor their pants to be too short but it is indicative of a trend I have noticed in youth games and at the high school level. Same with the wearing of the under armour bands and even the short jerseys from the 80's and 90's, etc. You're right, most coaches and players are good about keeping it legal at the lower levels (though we did see an 8 year old kid do an uncontested flip into the endzone last week).
I also work baseball and I notice similar things such as the way the pants are worn, etc. Like in the fashion world, most people start going with a trend because that is what the celebrities or professional athletes are wearing. I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with it though, that's just how it is.
I am concerned over the unprotected knees but at the collegiate level, I guess they are old enough to make their own decisions about that. Seeing it at the high school level bothers me but in a game of that size, I guess it is going to get overlooked as being insignificant.
I played high school football and the knee pads never bothered me. I imagine getting smacked in the knees would hurt a bit more however I have a friend that is a LB in the NFL and he hates having his knees covered. Different strokes I suppose.
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My point is that this is not an "automatic" thing players will do. I think if your state does a lot to educate their coaches, you do not have these kinds of problems. Maybe those that say this is a problem your state or jurisdiction is not doing a very good job to inform their schools what is legal or illegal. The officials are often the last people to deal with this. But if it is made clear that these would be violations of rules and penalties to remedy this will follow, not much of a problem. I think that is why I hardly ever see jewelry like you see at the pro level in all sports. And that includes baseball, basketball or football. The NBA is a huge influence on basketball players and I do not see the antics of players that you often see in the NBA. The coaches that no better and put the kibosh on that type of activity before it gets started. This in my opinion is the reason you do not see it very often. The problems we tend to have are the schools that are not in the higher income areas, the teams might not have certain pads, and not just the ones that make you look cool.
Peace