Not Appropriate ...
 

With the exception of the NFHS banning shoes with flashing lights in 1994-95, I’ve pretty much ignored shoes and socks during my five decades of officiating interscholastic basketball.

Until a middle school game yesterday when I spotted something late in the game dangling from the shoelaces of a player. My first thought was that the “Labubu trend” had infiltrated the basketball court.

I got a closer look after the game and it turned out to be a “tag” that came with the shoe. The player thought that it looked cool and kept it on his shoe. I warned him that at some point that he might be asked to take it off. Turns out that it will be me that asks him to remove it as I have his team again this afternoon.

3-5-1: The referee shall not permit any team member to wear equipment or apparel which, in his/her judgment, is dangerous or confusing to other players or is not appropriate

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a7383a6_w.jpg

Why would you care? Is this going to change how someone plays the game? Has the organization from the top said that this was an issue? If not, then why would any of us care? Seriously, for middle school? I do not give two shits about this kind of stuff and probably would not notice it. If the state wants to address it, then I might worry about it. Until then....

Peace

Ignore ???
 

But if you did happen notice it in your varisty game, would you totally ignore it?

Safety concern (only held on by a thin plastic thread)?

Trendsetter ...
 

Like I said, my first impression was that “Labubu trend” had infiltrated the basketball court.

Somebody has to see it first.

Maybe it was me, so I sent my concern up the ladder for an interpretation.

I'm not waiting for an interpretation, it's a safety issue and it's coming off this afternoon.

Verboten ...
 

Connecticut State Interpreter replied: Illegal, unsafe and not appropriate for basketball.

I got permission from his Dad to take the photo after the game.

Told the Dad that his son might have a new rule named after him, the "Daylan Rule", like the "Trent Tucker (3/10 second) Rule".

Security Device ...
 

I just got a follow-up email: I don’t see it as a safety issue. It doesn’t give him an unfair advantage. It’s actually a security device and most often used in luggage. I’d leave it alone.

I'm pleased to find out that I was not the only one confused by its legality.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Vn0AA...wJ/s-l1600.jpg

Hanging Accessories And Charms ...
 

I certainly hope that this is not the start of a “Labubu trend” on basketball shoes.

This fashion trend is way out of my wheelhouse, so I did some research.

The trend has expanded from just Labubus to other popular hanging accessories and charms you can use on bags, backpacks, keys, phones, etc., all in the broader trend beyond just Labubu-style collectibles. This “bag charm accessory” trend is part of a broader fashion movement where people personalize bags, purses, backpacks, etc. with characters, plushies, decorative tassels, tiny functional pouches, charms, and stylish keychains. This movement combines nostalgia and contemporary street style.

The "bag charm on shoes" trend is one of the most playful shifts in fashion for 2025 and 2026. Often referred to as "Shoe Jewelry" or the "Jane Birkin-ification of Footwear," it is essentially an evolution of the maximalist bag charm craze moving down to the ankles.

Instead of just wearing shoes as they come, fashion enthusiasts are now treating them as a canvas for storytelling through trinkets, ribbons, and hardware.

Please, no crying in baseball, and no Labubus in basketball.

Unless it is doing some lighting up or something, then it would be something else, then no, I would not care. Again, where does it say that this would be illegal? Nowhere. So you need either a state organization or some evidence that this is an issue beyond something being on your shoe.

My response is that it has nothing to do with level. I would not care at any level unless someone said that is something they cannot have based on what the picture looks like. I probably would never notice unless you pointed it out to me. Not something on the shoe unless it was like a shoe lace on the floor. Otherwise, it could be any level. I am not saying anything unless maybe it comes off.

Peace

Authenticity Tag ...
 

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fd017d5b_m.jpg

It’s a StockX authenticity tag that serves as a "seal of approval”. When a product passes through a StockX authentication center, a specialist inspects it for quality, condition, and legitimacy. If it passes, they attach the tag to the left shoe (usually through an eyelet) or to a specific part of an accessory or garment.

The tag is secured with a thin, serrated plastic cord. Once it is cut or pulled off, it cannot be reattached without looking tampered with.

Purchases, that are authenticated through eBay, also ship with similar tags. I would notice very quickly however, I do not see where it meets any criteria for being illegal.

Reattached ...
 

And after it comes off, will you allow it to be reattached during a time out or intermission?

Of course, at that point the authenticity verification will be null and void, with no reason to reattach it.

Full disclosure, my Connecticut State Interpreter says to ignore the issue until we start to see more of the same at which point we will react, and I always do what I'm told to do.

1: I called my 6-1/2 granddaughter (Who is in first grade grade.) asked her if she knew what a Labubu was and she knew immediately what it was and explained them to me. They range in size from small enough to wear on a key ring on a shoe to about six inches in size.

2a: I then I texted Mark, Jr.’s significant other who is a third grade teacher and her immediate response was: “Unfortunately, yes!”

2b: She then called me to describe them to me. They are little stuffed dolls that look like little monsters which remind her of Furbies. I told her that Furbies always reminded me of Tribbles which I had to tell her to have Mark explain the Star Trek; TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" to her.

2c: They are expensive and does not know who some of the families of students in hr class can afford them, but that is story for another time.

3a: The picture that Billy presented is not a Labubu.

3b: I guess, my Structural Engineer side of me is telling me that: i) the tag is not “appropriate” (and I lets but frank and not surely, the authenticity of shoe is not needed to play Basketball) and ii) is a safety hazard if it come detached from the shoe during play.

4: RULING: The shoe, with the tag, attached cannot be worn while Playing.

MTD, Sr.


P.S.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labubu

Differing Views ...
 

Thank you Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. for supporting my view of this issue.

Now at least two of us believe that, at the minimum, this issue should not be totally ignored.

I also respect the opinion of others who disagree with us as the determinations of "not appropriate" and "dangerous" are quite subjective.

"Every official who considers not enforcing a safety rule needs to answer the following question, 'Do you want your family living in a mobile home for the next forty years?'" (Alan Goldberger, Esquire)

I will worry about it when it comes off. If not, then who freakin cares, seriously?

And I am sure she did, she is a reasonable person. Tell Charlene I said "Hi."

Peace

While I agree that the discussed item is not "needed" and may not be "appropriate", and, that detachment "may" pose a safety hazard, the same could be said of many other shoe attachments/adornments that we as officials ignore. Plastic or metal lace locks on Nike Air Force 1's immediately come to mind. I do not see any official ever considering players to remove those. How about decorative aglets? How about a removable Nike swoosh?

https://filovesk.click/product_details/4703600.html

https://sneakernews.com/2018/02/08/n...ceable-colors/




Where would the objective line be drawn? Each official, currently, has their own line.