Gray Shirts
 

Just curious...Does anyone use the gray shirts with the black pin stripes in regular season or post season high school games (or any league, for that matter)?? We don't use them at all in Georgia, except for state tournament games in the Independent School league.
I like the shirts, and would like to see see them used more. Just a thought.

Standard issue here in our little corner of the country.

NCHSAA requires them all season long.

I hate'em.

Texas uses them -- not exclusively and mostly for varsity competition -- in many, if not most, areas of the state. I'm pretty sure the state tournament shirts are now gray.

Curious as to why you hate them...Is it because you are a purist (That is NOT a bad thing!!)
When I want a cup of coffee at Starbucks, I just want a cup of coffee....not Amaretto, not Hazelnut, just plain 'ole coffee! So, is it because you like the tradition?? Or do you just think they are ugly??

One chapter I belong to requires them for all games and another for varsity games only. I like 'em.

In Florida, it's left up to the local assn. We switched to grays 6 years ago, but I can't give you a reason why. I don't like them. I've contended all along that zebra stripes provide more of a contrast to the players, crowd and bench areas. That contrast makes it easier to pick up your partners out of the corner of your eye and across the floor.

I have a feeling that is actually the reason why some officals like them. They don't want to "stand out" any more than necessary (or so I've been told). I've always felt that was a cop out. We're supposed to stand out...that's why we have uni's in the first place.

We wear them exclusively here in Maine. I prefer the stripes wich we wear in college. I don't have any trouble picking up my partner with grey. But I am a traditionalist. Also the gray shows the persperation in the armpits much worse than black & white, which I don't like. Also we have IAABO patches on grey shirts and Honigs has a lock on them. So if you don't like their shirts, which I don't, tough luck. They did offer a sew-on patch at our association meeting this Jan. for the first time in years. But I like the embroidered patch much better.

I like them and wish that the OhioHSAA and the MichiganHSAA would at least allow the crew to choose to which shirt to wear; right now both states mandat the black and white stripes. Whenever Daryl H. "The Preacher"Long and MTD, Jr., officiate Special Olympics together we wear gray.

Besides, i think they make me look svelte, :D.

MTD, Sr.

I agree the stripes give more contrast. I work intramurals when I have time, and we have to wear black shirts, unless one of the teams is in black. We do three man later in the season, and I have noticed that rookies are more likely to notice a rotation if we are in stripes instead of the black shirts. I am also a traditionalist and would like to wear stripes for all of the games. Kansas currently doesn't allow the black side-panel shirt, much less a gray shirt, or the black pants in football for high school contests.

We were approved to wear grey & the wide panel for regular season games this year. Post season is standard ONLY :'(

It's funny how there has been so little change in basketball officials uniforms over the years, at least at the amateur level. I also work baseball and the changes there are continual, almost to a fault. I currently have four different colors of shirts; it's went from heather grey to dark grey pants; there are different colors and styles of jackets. Look at what umpires wore 30 years ago and you wouldn't see any resemblence to what is worn today. I'm not opposed to change.

We wear only the traditional black and white stripes in Iowa. Given a choice, I would wear the grey striped shirts. I'm sure a lot of other guys would prefer to stick with the zebra stripes.

I prefer the black and whites. I don't care for the grey with pinstirpes. I don't want to look like a wrestling official. No offense to MO wrestling officials intended. I could go for the FIBA style though.

http://www.fiba.com/images/web/v3_ex...l/referees.jpg

Improvement to gray shirts.
 

I thought of one small way to improve the looks of the gray shirt: Change the color of the pin stripes from black to scarlet, :p.

MTD, Sr.

I would definitely not mind wearing that kind of shirt.

1- If you work up a good sweat, it shows through under the arms and around the neck especially.

2- They ugly.

3- My partner got a pass on a fast break this morning.

I would prefer the B/W stripes with the black inseam.

Any english majors out there?
 

:confused: Gray or grey? Have we had this discussion before?

Colour My World ...
 

U.S. or U.K.?

What Goes Around Comes Around ...
 

When I first joined IAABO, over thirty years ago, we wore gray shirts with blue piping, and, I believe, a blue collar. Pants could be blue, or black, belted, or beltless. Jacket was blue satin with gray piping. Even though the blue pants were a better match, the "cool" guys wore black pants because college officials wore black pants.

I was still wearing my old, outdated, gray undershirts to do yard work up until a few years ago, until they turned threadbare, and just plum wore out.

If it's good enough for Peter Webb...
 

...(National IAABO Interpreter) and Maine to allow, it should be OK for other states to wear the greys. In NH, the state IAABO board outlawed in 2011 the wearing of greys after allowing them to be worn for several years. The board did not cosult its members/officials.

While I am not a fan of the gray stripes, my wife likes your idea as she is also from NW Ohio.

I personally like the traditional stripes. I am not a fan of seeing the side panels in the MS/HS level, as I feel that is the distinction between HS and College ball. When I joined my new association, I was told that side panels were a no/no, but I see quite a few partners who have worn them.

Couldn't get the black IAABO patches as a standalone. And my Honig's shirt is coming apart in its FIRST season. All gray in all of my FL Assns that I have worked [4]. Looking at alternatives for next year's shirt order. Did I tell you my Honig's shirt was coming apart at the collar and one of the pinstipes is separating? And that they have not responded to an email I sent?

I sweat bad. I don't care what color (or colour) they are, I want a tank top! :D

To the poster about the wide side panel shirts in HS. I don't like them either. Reason being most HS guys don't have them. The people we see wearing them despite our prohibition against them are:

1. Guys who also do small college and want a "look at me I do college games".

2. Guys that can only get in a college game with a ticket that want to pretend they do college games.

Complete with college mechanics.

We've had them in North Carolina for the past four seasons. I like them. Way more comfortable.

The color of a shirt affects its comfort? :confused::confused::confused::confused:

Call them then. I wouldn't sit back and wait for them to respond.

I had a problem with a shirt I bought from Purchase Officials, called them, and they sent me a shirt free and paid for the return shipping, too.

I was thinking the same thing Camron.

Peace

Beats me.

And that's why yellow makes me sad.

Different polyester blend that Honigs and other retailers use for their gray & whites vs. their black & whites. Seems to me like the grays are lighter, and thus are more airy, so you sweat less.

But that's just me. *shrugs*

You do realize that the exact same fabric that is made in the gray is the very same material that they use for black and white shirts that are commonly used (college shirt as an example)?

Peace

I sweat just as much in grays as I do in traditional black&whites. But I have to change my grays at halftime b/c the show sweat so prominently.

Maybe so. I haven't had to buy any black and whites in years; I still have the ones that I first started with eight yrs ago. I simply know the grays I have now are more comfortable than my black ones.

You have never seen a newer catalog in 8 years?

You can have mine, I get several a season from different companies.

Peace

Personally, the gray shirt makes me think who ever designed it was trying to make the referees hard to see and look bad at the same time.

I'm all in favor of going the full soccer route and having 5+ colors we can wear, but let's pick something other than gray.

Will do. I will post their response.

And fabric choices haven't changed in those eight years?

My goodness. 8 years ago I was still wearing 100% polyester shirts. Trust me when I say the shirts are now made of the same material.

I think the grays are fugly. I've seen pictures of people wearing them and they couldn't be less flattering. And if they show sweat like posters here say they do, that's even worse.

I do like the NBA shirts. I'd have no problem moving to a different shirt, but I guess I'm trying to understand the point. What exactly is wrong with black and white stripes?

Side Panels?
 

How about anything on side panels. I see a ton of crews wearing them here in Ohio and a ton of them not. I always thought they were a NCAA thing.

I am a heavy sweater. If I did not have an underarmor shirt on underneath, it would show a lot of the sweat. That said, I don't mind the gray shirts. Until they come up with wide panel college grays, that is.

They want to be "cool."

If the "standard" was with the side panel, and some NCAA official dedided to wear shirts without the side panel, then those same guys would be wearing the shirts w/o the panel.

I think the side panels are becoming more accepted in Ohio now. Last couple years though, you wouldn't want to be seen at the tournament with them.

Here you go, Gap, is this what you had in mind?

Smitty 206 Elite Grey Pinstripe w/Side Panels

See Dr. Seuss : The Sneetches and Other Stories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just a matter of time until the big timers show up in these.

That is what I was thinking, too. Bigtimed by Sylvester McBean.

That is equivalent to saying that Fords are not as good as Chevy's because your last Ford was a Pinto and your recently purchased Chevy is a Volt.

One shirt where the side panels actually look good....

I like the look and it has nothing to do with "big timing", I just like the look of the side panels.

My basketball shirts are the Ultimate Referee shirts by Ump-Attire. I also wear a performance fabric undershirt underneath. I haven't ever noticed visible sweat marks on my grey shirts and I sweat quite a bit. I'll take a look next time to see if I've just been as blind as the fans think I am. :)

Around here, since we're not supposed to wear the panels for HS games, many would take you to be "big timing," no matter what you said to the contrary.

If they are not allowed, then that I can understand. Here they are optional and I've had quite a few partners that wear them. This is becoming a bit of a moot point since we seem to be phasing out the stripes completely.

I will never understand why anyone would see this as big timing. For one if the shirt is an option, then would that not be any different than any other type of clothing that has an option?

We cannot wear the shirt for HS games, usually when I see someone wearing this shirt it is out or ignorance more than anything. Considering I know most college officials that I will work with and have some idea of what they work, I would not consider this big timing. Who are they trying to big time? If anything this tells me they are too cheap to buy a different shirt (and we have patches).

Peace

+1

All it needs are a few logos and flag patches :D

I see your point, that said we have a guy up here who wears his just to let us know he does college. We have over/under bets on how many times he mentions "college" in pregame "In my college game, we like to..."

ZZZZZ

Interesting never had that situation.

Peace

Unless the shirt is normally worn in any area, would you see any of those same people wearing a byron collar? The answer to that says all you need to know about why they are wearing it instead of the standard shirt.

Here in VA you can only wear side-panels if the entire crew wears them.

I had a partner who only brought his side-panel shirt to a game because he assumed that's what I'd be wearing b/c I do some college ball but I don't even pack a side-panel when I work HS ball.

The other thing I have seen occur with some of these guys is the use of college mechanics even though they are instructed to use HS mechanics. Often, the big timing is the whole package...shirt, pre-game with college references, talk of the games they just did or will do at the college level, an NCAA logo on their travel bag [understood as those are not as inexpensive as a shirt--which should be covered by a big time game fee], the mechanics used [particularly on time out signals and when inbounding], etc.

Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Goodbye ...
 

Had a guy like that on our local board. Hated working with him. Thanks God he picked up and moved south.

Usually a guy wearing a Byron collar is too lazy or cheap to buy new equipment. Usually means they are officiating off of rules that have changed years ago too. Then again I have not seen one of these shirts in probably 8 or 9 years and before that was my first year when people still wore them and still in the NF book.

Had a partner on a soph boys game when I first started who had what he thought was perfect solution for new shirts. He had his wife cut off the 'byron' on his shirt. It looked like a Nehru jacket.

Same guy who as we are going to other end to shoot 1 and 1 with players lined up and shooter misses first one with subsequent rebound, now we have a whistle. He informs me that he called a tech at other end but didn't tell me.

The good old days!

In my neck of the woods, 3 different shirts can be found.

1. B/W stripes. Both with and without the side panel.

2. Solid grey No pin stripes.

3. The Fiba shirt- black sleeves, grey body.

The FIBA shirt is by far the most comfortable shirt I've ever had.

I'm assuming you mean the lack of a signal to stop the clock?

This is the second time someone has gone from comparing the colors/patterns of a shirt to claiming that one was more comfortable....as if the colors/patterns have something to do with the comfort. :confused::confused:

It's the material the shirt of the particular colour happens to be made out of.