Official's Facial Hair

[MajorCord]

Seeing Padgett's picture (if that is really him) brought this question to my mind. Do your official's associations have regulations concerning facial hair (women excluded )?

Around here, if you have facial hair, as in this picture, you don't get any varsity games. Just curious what your experiences are.

[Scooby]

No official rule that I know of.

[NewNCref]

Originally Posted by MajorCord

Seeing Padgett's picture (if that is really him) brought this question to my mind. Do your official's associations have regulations concerning facial hair (women excluded )?

Around here, if you have facial hair, as in this picture, you don't get any varsity games. Just curious what your experiences are.

In the association that I work in, it was put to the first-year officials this way. When you come to work a game, you are expected to look like a basketball official. That means obvious things like striped shirt, black pants, black shoes, etc. But it also means things like looking well kept. No bed head, no wrinkled clothes, and, generally no facial hair. If you show up to a game with a wrinkled pair of pants, you will not be kicked off it. It will in no way affect your ability to call the game. But it is something that will be noticed, maybe not by any players or coaches, but by an evaluator. It's just kind of an unspoken rule of the trade.

On a personal note, I have a beard every day of the year, except for basketball season. No one has ever told me during preseason meetings to shave, but I just always do. It may not help me get any varsity games, but it sure can't hurt.

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by NewNCref

On a personal note, I have a beard every day of the year, except for basketball season. No one has ever told me during preseason meetings to shave, but I just always do. It may not help me get any varsity games, but it sure can't hurt.

Do you officiate any other sports?

[JoeTheRef]

Facial hair is like wearing glasses. It is a unwritten rule in our HS Association, you have either and you probably will only work sub-varsity games. In my College conferences, facial hair is definintely a no-no. Don't know about glasses, but I have yet to see any college official with glasses.

[JRutledge]

There is no hard and fast rule about facial hair, but there might be some personal preferences of a particular assignor. And for the record I see a lot of officials have facial hair work basketball. If you are African-American, facial hair is very common and accepted. I think this is a hang up of white people for some reason.

Peace

[Rita C]

Originally Posted by MajorCord

Seeing Padgett's picture (if that is really him) brought this question to my mind. Do your official's associations have regulations concerning facial hair (women excluded )?

Around here, if you have facial hair, as in this picture, you don't get any varsity games. Just curious what your experiences are.

When more women start officiating past menopause, they might include them as well.

Rita

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

There is no hard and fast rule about facial hair, but there might be some personal preferences of a particular assignor. And for the record I see a lot of officials have facial hair work basketball. If you are African-American, facial hair is very common and accepted. I think this is a hang up of white people for some reason.

Peace

I think Rut is talking about mustaches in particular. If so, this is also an unwritten rule concerning officers in the Military. It isn't a bad thing for an African American to have a mustache, but sort of frowned upon for others. I don't know why this is; it seems kind of stupid to me.

As far as beards and officiating go, it isn't anything specific, but it is there. I think the same applies to certain hair styles too.

[Mark Padgett]

Gee, this guy had a mustache. BTW - his name is Dr. James Naismith. Seriously, since when did facial hair result in an inability to use good judgment?

[canuckrefguy]

MY EYES !!

MY EYES !!














just kidding

[NewNCref]

Originally Posted by MichaelVA2000

Do you officiate any other sports?

Yes, softball.

[Adam]

Our assigner has a handle-bar mustache, and maybe two guys have goatees (one is African American, and one is caucasian).

I had a goatee a few games last year, but for the most part I'm clean shaven when I ref (I can't wear a goatee for more than a month at a time anyway due to Air Force regulations.)

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by NewNCref

Yes, softball.

Why are you not clean shaven for softball as you are for basketball?

[DonInKansas]

I've worn a goatee pretty much non-stop since I was 18(11 years now), and have never had it be an issue in officiating(baseball 10 years, basketball starting this year). Then again, I've never been part of an association, as there hasn't been any associations in the areas I've worked in.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by MajorCord

Seeing Padgett's picture (if that is really him) brought this question to my mind. Do your official's associations have regulations concerning facial hair (women excluded )?

No, but we have regulations concerning anything that fugly. We don't use officials that make small children cry and the townspeople break out the torches and pitchforks.