Rule on tights...or not

[Jimgolf]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

I have often wondered why tights are prohibited anyway. A team could wear long pants and that would be legal.

That's probably the key here. If the whole team were wearing tights, you might have a point. That's what the definition of uniform means in English, everyone the same. It might be interesting to see a team try to come out in something like those track skin suits and see what the official reaction would be.

How about those unitards the Australian Women's team wears? Do they meet the definition of jerseys under Fed guidelines? Are they tucked in?

[tomegun]

The whole point of this thread is the fact that it is possible to wear legal compression shorts with legal socks and look that same as someone with tights on. If I typed something that said Wade's compression shorts were below the knee, that is a typo/mistake on my part. Also, yes there have been rules that I haven't known. Silly me, I don't have to open my mouth to be contrary at every, and I mean EVERY, opportunity.

Should we make it a poll and ask how many experienced refs would:
a. Tell a player they are wearing something illegal if it looks like that have on tights
b. Ask a player to pull up their uniform shorts to see if they are wearing tights or legal compression shorts with long socks

Of course the answer would have to be based on what an "experienced" official would have done before this thread.

JR, before this post did you know that any player, at any level, wore this combination that looks like tights?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by tomegun

JR, before this post did you know that any player, at any level, wore this combination that looks like tights?

Yes, and I also know the difference between socks and compression shorts too. One goes up and the other goes down.

And if I'm not sure that a player is wearing something that might be illegal, then I'm simply gonna go and take a look at it, and then make a judgment. And I also personally don't know any experienced officials that wouldn't do the same thing either. That was my point from the git-go, and it had nothing to do with whether I agreed with you or not. If you're used to officials that would send someone out of a game without looking first to see whether it's actually illegal or not, then may I respectfully suggest that their training ain't worth a damn.

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Yes, and I also know the difference between socks and compression shorts too. One goes up and the other goes down.

And if I'm not sure that a player is wearing something that might be illegal, then I'm simply gonna go and take a look at it, and then make a judgment. And I also personally don't know any experienced officials that wouldn't do the same thing either. That was my point from the git-go, and it had nothing to do with whether I agreed with you or not. If you're used to officials that would send someone out of a game without looking first to see whether it's actually illegal or not, then may I respectfully suggest that their training ain't worth a damn.

So, who did you see wearing socks that met up with legal compression shorts? I'm skeptical. I know you are smart enough to make something up at this point, but i don't believe you had seen this before. I have witness a lot of players as an official and spectator/fan over the years and I never saw this until I saw Wade last year. As far as I've seen, this whole tights thing was just started, by Kobe, last season or the season before. Please tell us when you saw this for the first time.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by tomegun

So, who did you see wearing socks that met up with legal compression shorts? I'm skeptical. I know you are smart enough to make something up at this point, but i don't believe you had seen this before. I have witness a lot of players as an official and spectator/fan over the years and I never saw this until I saw Wade last year. As far as I've seen, this whole tights thing was just started, by Kobe, last season or the season before. Please tell us when you saw this for the first time.

Tom, you come up with some crap in this thread that's got nothing to do with real life; you obviously don't have a clue what the rules were anyway but you tried to cover your ignorance by saying "typo"; and now you tell me I'm a liar.

The main point that you brought up was what an official should do if he saw that. Well, there ain't a damn official in the world that's gonna do dick-all until they look closely at it to see if it's true or not. And then, they'll just follow the rules.This whole thread was just completely stoopid from Post #1. If that pisses you off, too damn bad. Deal with it.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Jimgolf

That's probably the key here. If the whole team were wearing tights, you might have a point. That's what the definition of uniform means in English, everyone the same. It might be interesting to see a team try to come out in something like those track skin suits and see what the official reaction would be.

Then if that is true, why is it legal for players to wear different shoes and sock? So if a player wants to wear something like this, there is nothing in the rules stopping them. Even these new rules about sweatbands do not extend to these things being worn on other parts of the body. There is nothing in the rules that say it is illegal for players to wear a different length of socks. These for the most part are socks and I would allow them once I figured out they were not compression pants.

Peace

[ChuckElias]

Originally Posted by Jimgolf

That's probably the key here. If the whole team were wearing tights, you might have a point.

I thought I did have a point. My point was I think the rule against tights is over-officious, for lack of a better word.

Even if the whole team were wearing tights, however, they would still be illegal. If, on the other hand, one or two players were wearing pants instead of shorts, that would be legal. Strangely, there's no requirement that all the pants/shorts on a team be uniform.