The Official Forum - Grey shirts

The Official Forum (https://forum.officiating.com/)

- Basketball (https://forum.officiating.com/basketball/)

- - Grey shirts (https://forum.officiating.com/basketball/25997-grey-shirts.html)

Let's see now. Microfiber shirts, Sansabelt polyester slacks, Under Armor underwear, patent leather shoes - it's all a PETA plot! :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

I don't see it so much now, but a couple years ago (when I was much more interested in checking out all the new gear that could be had), the uniform guys were pushing the grey with unbridled gusto. The uniform guys are definitely one of the driving forces behind it; they're trying to pry a few bucks from the clenched fists of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" crowd!

There will always be a certain percentage of the population for whom changing fashion trends are important. And who doesn't like the feeling of showing up in the latest gear?

As fashion goes, basketball is behind the curve. Look at what's happened with baseball. What have they got now, like 14 approved colors? Razzle dazzle shiny fabric? That's a pretty radical change from a wool suit and tie, even from the old Elbeco mailman shirts that used to hang in my closet.

And soccer refs get even wilder. Long gone are the black with white cuffs there. I've seen some with what look like designer jerseys.

Wild and crazy for us was transitioning to pleated slacks. Innovative was inventing a whistle without a pea. Bold and daring is not having entirely black shoes (or maybe just those hideous rubber toes!). Let's really go for broke and try wearing shorts. Heck, if players shorts get any longer, we'll have to adopt the old short shorts just to be different ;)

Now the guys who are really stuck in a time warp are the football officials. The only change I've noticed there in the past couple decades is a new style of stirrup.

The grey shirt seems destined for widespread, if grudging, acceptance. It's a fashion thing. But in five years, I don't think it'll be back to the stripes. I think it'll be on to other colors. I do think the stripes will always be an option, maybe even the least common denominator, like the powder blue in baseball.

That's my prediction :)

Shorts would be just fine with me as long as we don't have to wear the John Stockton shorts:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc

I agree completely. Changing color of a shirt wont change the material.

The only reason I see for the change is the uniform providers are pushing for them to increase sales. And they are the same people who will push us back to stripes in 5 years.

You're so right. It's a conspiracy from those multi-millionaire uniform conglomerates. I think even Halliburton is going to start selling gray shirts soon. :rolleyes:

Z

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianp134

Shorts would be just fine with me as long as we don't have to wear the John Stockton shorts:D

You ain't seen nuthin till you've seen Larry H. Miller in John Stockton shorts :eek:

I like the grey, but they should be an ALTERNATE shirt, not a MANDATED shirt. My first time around the block pre-dated the zebras. Blue/gray with a navy collar and [shudder] a zippered front. And airhole underarms. Some enterprising old-timer should post a pic of someone in 1970s garb.

Quote:

Microfiber shirts, Sansabelt polyester slacks, Under Armor underwear, patent leather shoes - it's all a PETA plot!

I wish someone would come out with microfiber, lightweight, wicking slacks like the Nike Dri-Fit or Norman golf slacks they sell. All they need to do is make them beltless and remove the cuffs.

Quote:

My first time around the block pre-dated the zebras. Blue/gray with a navy collar and [shudder] a zippered front.

I've seen pictures of my dad in his football ref uniform from back in the '50s. They wore long sleeved white shirts (yes, even in September in Texas) and all cotton pants (not sure if they were knickers or not).

Back then, there was no polyester, Nike, or even Greg Norman!

retro look, but not back to the 1970s

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockyroad

Hey Z, this reminds me of a few years back when the pleated pants came out and people started wearing them...some had a problem with that, but how many people do you see now that DON'T wear them? The "newness" of the gray shirts will blow eventually blow over...pretty much everyone around here wears them fot the Varsity games now...

I DON'T wear pleated pants, so it's not the "everybody's doing it" reason for me. And it's not the "newness" of the gray shirts that I don't like. I don't like the way they look! They look CHEAP, like a minor league volleyball league or a defunct summer football league or a Canadian Football League uniform. The stripes are a sharper, more professional look. :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forksref

The stripes are a sharper, more professional look. :rolleyes:

Maybe if you're a zebra in heat. :D

Z

I had to wear my stripes for 3 games at the Washington state 3A tournament....One of the teams had gray for thier home uniforms........and of course I had them 3 times and each time they were home....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forksref

You don't wear pleated pants? I thought everyone had made the switch by now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zebraman

You're so right. It's a conspiracy from those multi-millionaire uniform conglomerates. I think even Halliburton is going to start selling gray shirts soon. :rolleyes:

Z

And what about the switch in home jersey colors from 'light' to 'white'?

Quote:

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

And what about the switch in home jersey colors from 'light' to 'white'?

Another conspiracy! :rolleyes:

I wasn't in the NFHS meetings, but I assume that there were some games played at some point where the home team's non-white color was a little too close to the away team's non-white color and it caused some confusion.

Z

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forksref

I DON'T wear pleated pants, so it's not the "everybody's doing it" reason for me. The stripes are a sharper, more professional look. :rolleyes:

So let me get this straight...you say stripes are more professional than gray but yet don't think pleats looks more professional than what you're wearing??

My basketball board has mandated the gray shirts for the past three years. Like everything they have their pro's and con's. One of the major draw backs that we've noticed is sometimes it can be hard to pickup your fellow official(s) when trying to make eye contact. Having watched a lot of basketball the idea that we don't stand out as much is true.