And, it comes down to what is acceptable in your area.

It has just been discussed. If it's an issue with one (or a few) officials in your area, talk to them (or have someone else do it).

This what I think of when partner shows up with a belt.


http://www.charleyeckman.com/images/AZ47.jpg

To each their own. I know looks matter and first impressions count, but some of the sharpest looking refs I've had for partners couldn't referee a dog sled race and other guys wearing belts were some of the best partners I've had. It's one of those things that does not matter to me and does not seem to matter in the two associations I work in.

That's the whole point........you walk out on the court and start with an F and have to work your way up with a belt.

Hey, a guy can have a mullet too, his choice how he wants to be perceived.

Just better to dress the part.

Here in FL, nobody [almost] wears belted slacks. In VT, it was about half/half. I had both. If the crew had belted, I wore belted. If the crew wore beltless, I wore beltless. To be honest, there was more concern about glasses than belts up there. Here in FL, there are a number of guys wearing glasses and they don't only get poor contests. Same with shoes, if the crew has patent leather, I wear those. If they don't, I wear the others. If there is a split, I am in the majority.

Just No Belted Pants Without A Belt ...
 

Here in my little corner of Connecticut, we have a choice of wearing belted, or beltless, pants. Nobody is encouraged, or discouraged from either. Connecticut is a very liberal state.

Watching the 1984 NCAA Final between Georgetown and Houston and the officials are wearing collared shirts, administering the FT from the C, and the L is doing a weird back and forth across the lane thing.

But they are NOT wearing belts. This is for those who suggest that the beltless look is a cyclical and arbitrary phenomenon. At LEAST 28 years since NCAA officials wore belts. Something to think about.

It's also been quite a few years since NCAA used 2 officials, but in high school it's still quite prevalent. What's one got to do with the other?

I started in 1987. I've never worn belted pants.

I did see some highlights on ESPN today of the 1976 Indiana team. 2-person crews and everyone wore a belt. I guess the question is -- when did beltless pants become commonplace?

It has been a number of years since I wore a shirt with a collar, but the last year that the OhioHSAA allowed either the collar or collarless shirt to be worn as long as the entire crew wore the same type of shirt was years ago and I would take both types of shirts even though no one was wearing shirts with collars anymore until I did the championship game in a girls' H.S. varsity Christmas holliday tournament and my partner had only shirts with collars because he thought the collarless shirts didn't look good and he wasn't about to buy any of them until he was required to wear them. We wore shirts with collars that night.

MTD, Sr.

It's all the rage
 

Just thought of something, WE should stage a throw back uni night...yeah that would be great..I just wouldn't be able to choose between belted and the patch pocket BIKE. Course, I think I still got my RecSpecs!! Anyway it would def look better than some of these uni combos the NBA and even NFL (Denver Broncos for one..aggghhh) have been coming up with.

The last year I remember wearing a shirt with a collar is in my first year which was back in 1996-1997. Many veterans had both and we would wear the V-neck if he had the same shirt in our bags. I did not even buy an actual basketball collared shirt, but used my football shirt (which had a pocket) that I would use the rare time if someone did not have the collared shirt. That was also the same year the beltless pants were becoming very popular as most guys did not use a belt in their pants anymore. I am sure the trend was changing before then, but I remember this as it was a constant conversation as to what we would wear before every game. I think the NF also changed some language at that time which opened up this can of worms.

Peace

For me the last big change was "pleats" or "flat front". I carried both in the 2002-03 season (and had one partner make fun of me for trying to match him). I've worn nothing but pleated pants since 2003-04.

Similar situation with me. Not sure of the year, but I stopped wearing flat front pants either the same time or right before.

Peace

There you go. If you drive a truck to the game you can wear a belt. If the truck has big mud flaps, you can wear a big buckle. :)