Grey Shirts

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

I don't really have a firm opinion on the wide-panel zebra shirt. I do know that the NCAA modified their rule book to explicitly allow the wearing of it a couple of years ago. So perhaps without a similar change in the NFHS book, this shirt should be considered not to meet the current standards.

On the other hand it is hard to argue that it is not a black and white striped shirt! So my thoughts on the actual wearing of it are:

1. It should only be worn if the ENTIRE crew is wearing it. The officials are a team and their uniform needs to be the same. I have seen a couple of HS games in which only one official on the court wore this shirt and it did make him stand out.

2. The thick black stripe IS noticeable. It stands out every time an official raises his arm for a foul or violation. If that side of the official's body is facing the table, the coaches especially take notice of the different look. This was particularly true in the game that I mentioned in #1. So much so that one coach became upset because he felt that whenever "the official with the stripe" made a call it went against his team. He became fixated on the guy with the stripe and it eventually led to his removal.

So what you're saying is because this 1 official wore the shirt with the wide black side panels instead of the standard shirt he got on the coaches nerves and this led the coach getting not 1 but 2 T's. And if he was wearing a regular shirt the coach would have been a happy little lamb and would have happily accepted any call that came his way.

This is what you're telling us?

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

So what you're saying is because this 1 official wore the shirt with the wide black side panels instead of the standard shirt he got on the coaches nerves and this led the coach getting not 1 but 2 T's. And if he was wearing a regular shirt the coach would have been a happy little lamb and would have happily accepted any call that came his way.

This is what you're telling us?

I think what Nev is saying is that because the official stood out it was more obvious to the coach that the calls he disagreed with were coming from just that one official. Seldom does a coach go off at an entire crew to the point that he gets tossed. It's difficult to get that worked up at a group. It's more often the case that he goes off at a single official.

Of course we'll never know whether the coach would have been tossed had they been identically attired. It's not that difficult to identify individual members of a crew by height, weight, gender, skin color, hair color, etc. But you usually have to be paying some added attention to realize that the taller official has all the calls against you. Throw in something so eye-catchingly novel as the wide black panel and you can't help noticing it's the same guy time after time. Why stand out like that?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Of course we'll never know whether the coach would have been tossed had they been identically attired. It's not that difficult to identify individual members of a crew by height, weight, gender, skin color, hair color, etc. But you usually have to be paying some added attention to realize that the taller official has all the calls against you. Throw in something so eye-catchingly novel as the wide black panel and you can't help noticing it's the same guy time after time. Why stand out like that?

So all these years the only way I have ever been identified or my partners have been identified on the court is by the shirts we wear? Man, I cannot wait until I actually wear one of these shirts during a game. Then when they talk about the fat referee or the guy with grey hair, they really can identify us.

Peace

[dblref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

So all these years the only way I have ever been identified or my partners have been identified on the court is by the shirts we wear? Man, I cannot wait until I actually wear one of these shirts during a game. Then when they talk about the fat referee or the guy with grey hair, they really can identify us.

Peace

Unfortunately Jeff, someof the fat referees also have grey hair and vice versa, so it will still be difficult to distinguish between the officials.

[Texas Aggie]

So what you are telling me it is OK to have crew members where three different shirts without the panels, but to wear the panels is a no-no? For example on official wears the polyester, one wears the micro-mesh, and the third official wears the poly-cotton. All three shirts look different.

No, that's not what he's telling you, and no, they don't look different enough for anyone to notice, assuming the poly-cotton hasn't faded.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

No, that's not what he's telling you, and no, they don't look different enough for anyone to notice, assuming the poly-cotton hasn't faded.

Well that is a matter of opinion. The reason I have never purchased a poly-cotton was the way those jerseys fade after a few times in the wash. They look very different to me and I can spot those shirts a mile away. This is why I do not have any in my closet.

The point is if the NF does not want these shirts to be used, they better make it clearer than what you guys are claiming. All the NF says is a black and white striped shirt. It is not like we are talking about a different color shirt. We are only talking about a style and there is more than one style of black and white shirts.

My main point is I have never heard a coach ever identify an official by the shirt. I have witnessed or been identified by things like race, color, hair style, size, where I live or any other distinguishing characteristic someone might see. I have never, ever had anyone point out the type of shirt someone wears and get mad over it.

Peace

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The point is if the NF does not want these shirts to be used, they better make it clearer than what you guys are claiming. All the NF says is a black and white striped shirt.

I already agreed with that above.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

It is not like we are talking about a different color shirt. We are only talking about a style and there is more than one style of black and white shirts.

Well, if it's only about the style of the shirt then is it have a problem for one official to be wearing a collared shirt while the others are wearing V-neck?

Or even, by your logic, this shirt would be okay because it is just a different style of black and white stripes:

Originally Posted by JRutledge

My main point is I have never heard a coach ever identify an official by the shirt. I have witnessed or been identified by things like race, color, hair style, size, where I live or any other distinguishing characteristic someone might see. I have never, ever had anyone point out the type of shirt someone wears and get mad over it.

So because it hasn't happened to you it can't be true?

Perhaps you could try wearing a red T-shirt for a game and see what happens.