The point I was making was very clear if you don't leave out the sentene before the part you decided to quote. "This is for those who suggest that the beltless look is a cyclical and arbitrary phenomenon."

And 2 person crews in HS is entirely about $$$. So, yes, what does one have to do with the other?

I don't think the two compare. Two vs. three officials is almost always due to the monetary reasons. We have no control over this. Belted vs. sans a belt is something the officiating community has control over. And from what I've seen and read, it's a near unanimous adaptation of sans a belt save for some parts in Louisiana (or so it seems).

There are other similarly isolated areas where it's accepted (at least until about 3 seasons ago).

Similarly isolated?? What does that mean? Oh, you mean like Connecticut.

Nope, I was thinking of my previous locale. I've never even so much as seen Connecticut soil from across a river.

Still doesn't mean it isn't isolated compared to the rest of the nation. I'd venture to say if we took a poll (YES a poll! :D), the overall majority would say that sansabelt is either mandated or de facto mandated.

Up north in VT, it was about 50/50 on the belt front. That was 2 years ago. There were guys who used belted that worked state finals. People get more grief using the gray shirts than belts.

Yep, and my previous association, where the local board president would wear a belt, was in the same state as my current group, where we get very direct instructions that belted pants aren't acceptable at the high school level.