Grey shirts

[blindzebra]

I hate the grey shirts, I have yet to see an upside to them and I'm in a state that wore them for several years and went back to the stripes.

[26 Year Gap]

It is my understanding from my interpreter, who is on the rules committee is that the recomendations were to have been made this weekend and they are adopted [or not] later in the month.

[Junker]

The Iowa JUCO league wears grey. Personally I don't like them. I prefer the old stripes.

[Bad Zebra]

Our local association here in Fla. went to the greys two seasons ago with the blessing of our state Assn. I have yet to find anyone who can give me a good reason as to why we changed. The stripes are almost universally recognized regardless of the sport. Why the heck change 'em? Are they broke? Do they evoke a negative mental reaction in players? As far as comfort/wear? It's the same material...they wear the same...cliff keen mesh stripes feel exactly like the cliff keen mesh greys. I personally feel this was just something to change for the sake of changing. We'll probably be back in stripes in the next five years or less. Never has made any sense to me.

[Texas Aggie]

Really, the only benefit of gray shirts from an official's perspective is wear. It will likely not fade as fast as the whites and blacks on the traditional shirt will. And if you wash carefully (i.e., cold, no dryer), the stripes will hold up well anyway. However, with the material OC has on their shirts (and Cliff Keen, from what I hear, being much the same) it doesn't matter as far as comfort.

I don't think Texas will make the change anytime soon, and the NCAA still mandates the stripes. If Texas did allow the change, I would hope they would allow the option.

[zebraman]

It's interesting to me to see the resistance to the gray shirts. Here in Washington State it's optional (we can wear stripes or gray as long as everyone is the same), and I've never, ever had a partner want to wear stripes.

Z

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by zebraman

It's interesting to me to see the resistance to the gray shirts. Here in Washington State it's optional (we can wear stripes or gray as long as everyone is the same), and I've never, ever had a partner want to wear stripes.

Z

Me too!

The gray shirt made by OC is the same material as the microsofter shirts. This does not wear like anything except the microsofter shirts. The gray shirt made by Kliff Keen is not the same. Things could have changed recently.

[Forksref]

I think they look cheap. Like the old AFL officials' uniforms. Looks like you are officiating a picnic volleyball game. I don't see anything broken that needs to be fixed.

[oc]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

As far as comfort/wear? It's the same material...they wear the same...cliff keen mesh stripes feel exactly like the cliff keen mesh greys. I personally feel this was just something to change for the sake of changing. We'll probably be back in stripes in the next five years or less. Never has made any sense to me.

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.

[Back In The Saddle]

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.

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

[Jimgolf]

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

[brianp134]

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

[zebraman]

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.

Z

[26 Year Gap]

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.

Z

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

[rpirtle]

High School Level (TX) - We have always used the traditional B&W stripes for high school here in TX. I don't know if our state official's association (TASO) or state governing body (UIL) has ever even considered using the grey shirts. My favorite is the newer tight-weave mesh made by Kliff Keen (polyester / nylon blend). Our state association and local chapter do not require us to display patches on our shirts so this is not a factor for us.

College Level (TX) - Our coordinator (for NCAA Div II & III, NAIA, & Juco) would have a heartattack if we even mentioned we would like him to consider going to the greys (my opinion). He seems to me to be fairly traditional in nature. And I seem to remember seeing a memo from the NCAA recently stating explicitly that grey shirts were not to be worn in any NCAA games.

ABA - In the ABA we use a very sturdy plain grey shirt (with blue trim) made of 100% polyester by Alleson Athletics. While its tight weave and thick construction holds up very well to patches and it drapes well, it is very hot because it does not breathe well.

Pro-Ams (TX) - The ProAm circuit has used the grey shirts in this area for several years now. I think they look great and they were pretty much the same from a maintenance & care standpoint. We used the plain grey shirts one year and the grey with black pinstripe another. I preferred the grey tight-weave (private label) with pinstripes myself. It was light weight, fairly cool, and held up well to sewn on patches.

League Play & Referee Camps (TX) - And all of the referee camps and nationally affiliated Spring and Summer leagues (AAU, BCI, etc.) require B&W shirts. Even the Hoop-it-Up (3-on-3 B-ball) events in this area require the B&W stripes. This is all the way up to the Top Gun brackets (men's and women's open bracket which includes many top college players and some that have played at the semi-pro level). So TX is pretty much a B&W striped shirt state in this category.

Appearance vs Comfort & Care- It has been my experience that both types of shirts (B&W and Greys) have some characteristics that are beneficial and some that are not. For instance, both can be found in 100% polyester or some type of cotton / poly blend. And both can be found in a solid weave or some type of woven mesh. The mesh shirts are generally cooler but some don't hold up very well when you start sewing patches on them. While the solid weave shirts (both 100% polyester & cotton / poly blends) hold up better to patches, they might not breathe as well and so might be hotter. My favorite material (disregarding color) is the tight-weave mesh made of 100% polyester (inside) and 100% polyester (outside) by Kliff Keen.

So, in my opinion, the bottom lines is...decide which color scheme you want to go with for your conference...then find a manufacturer that makes one that fits your needs. But that's just me...