We talk to them at halftime of their game and we have a website where we give them an electronic evaluation. They are encouraged to stay for our first half and to take part in our halftime talk.

Not a fair comment, IMO.

Start times vary, some HS games start as early as 5:00 or 6:00. For the officials that can make those games, they're often still tight for time.

You imply that those who show up changed are unprofessional. In my experience, that's simply not the case.

As Rut said, adjustments and flexibility must be recognized when they are reasonable and justified. Is it preferable to show up, dressed neatly, and change as you're pre-gaming? Absolutely. Is that always possible? I doubt it.

How is it not fair, if in my experience, guys showing up dressed are the ones showing up right before game time?

The showing up at game time IS unprofessional.It is unfair and stressful to their partner, and it causes stress for the school's AD. If an official can't get there at least 30 minutes before the game, they should not be working the game.

I don't think anyone should get bent out of shape over someone's thinking on this subject. We all have had our own experiences. For me, when an official comes to the game dressed it says something about that official more times than not. I do not wear my work clothes to games but I also don't go dressed. I just don't like it. For a high school game a tie isn't needed but it is nice to look professional. For an official that wants to move up this shouldn't be a problem since you will be required to wear a jacket and/or tie for a college game.

Here in Northern Virginia we have to arrive at the gym no later than 30 min before the game for Frosh and JV and 45 min to 1 hour for V. Sport coat/suit coat, tie or turtle neck for the men and business dress for the ladies. The only exception is the military uniform of the day. We can be fined for repeated violations.

Areas are different sometimes.
 

All I can speak for is my area. It is never acceptable to come dressed to games. NEVER ACCEPTABLE. I cannot think of a single situation where it is. It never was when I did Junior High Games started at 4:30. Now I am sure there are places that allow this. But if you do this in the area I live and with the assignors that I work for, you might find yourself not working as much. I am sure there are places that have different standards, just like everything else we potentially talk about here.

Peace

I hear you. Most games I do are Frosh/Soph/JV, which usually start at 4pm. In Houston traffic, and to keep from getting fired at my job, I am usually running into the gym at 3:50, and try to change, within 10 minutes. A pregame is 3 to 4 salient points, then we talk at time-outs.
It is a real incentive to move up to Varsity games in Houston, since they don't start till 7-7:30pm. For those games, you are expected to get there one hour before game time. Which means leaving work at 3:30 anyway, cause it's the middle of rush hour. :)

To ask someone to go home after work to change into clothes that will be worn for only a few minutes is just silly.

Officiating fees are paying us for the job on the floor. We should generally arrive at the games in a clean presentable fashion. Suits or sport coats are extreme overkill for any HS game. If a person wears one to their day job, keeping it on is fine, but I don't think anyone should be expected to change into a suit just to travel to the game and perhaps sit in the stands for 15 minutes.

I'd even go so far to say that someone who works construction or some other job where they might get dirty should be permitted to go to a game in construciton clothes and clean up at the game site.

Luckily, I work in an industry and for a company that cares only about the work you do and little about how you dress (except in the areas where it would be a safety issue or a direct detriment to the job).

To my games, I wear what I wore to work that day. Often, it is jeans and a knit shirt. Sometimes slacks and a knit shirt. Never a suit. Never a tie. Sometimes, it's a T-shirt.

Just an opinion.
 

I agree with just about everything you are saying. But I would not ever wear a T-Shirt to a "varsity night" contest. I might wear a pair of jeans if they are nicely pressed. But I am going there to do a job, not to hang out. You are judged often by how you look. I know teams that do not allow their players to wear jeans. I think we have to treat the contest like we want to be perceived. And wearing T-shirts and jeans in my opinion is not it during most contests

Peace

Ref with folks from the Pentagon much?

BTW, uniform of the day? Is Monday USMC? :p

I'm with Camron. We have an official who is a mechanic and often does not have time to go home before his games. He just goes right into the locker room of the school when he arrives and cleans up and changes clothes.

I wear to the game what I wear to work. It's always clean and presentable, never a sportcoat or tie. We've never had to address any of our officials about what they wear to games.

Z

Do what your area allows you to do. I would never show up to a game in my uniform. I always change when I get to the game site.

I reffed a game at a nudist colony and had a difficult time deciding what to wear to the game. They said show up in your "suit". I asked if a tie is required and they giggled and replied.."only if it is bow tie".

Upon arriving I realized that I was over dressed for the occaison. I was glad to have brought a neck lanyard to hold my whistle.

but how did you tuck your whistle in your pocket when you were in the restroom???

In my area, we are discouraged from wearing any part of our official uniform outside of the actual game venue.
In softball for example, it would not be appropriate to wear our game hat around town just because we like the way it looks.

JMHO, but I wouldn't wear any part of my game uniform outside of the actual game.
Maybe it's just our local thing here, but I think it looks like we were/are hurried.