"Purple" or "Blue"
 

I came into work today wearing a purple short-sleeve knit shirt. Purple is also the color of two local schools, one public (Hampden, my town), one private (Bapst).

One of my colleagues saw me and exclaimed, "Hey! I see you're wearing your Bapst purple!" I feigned offense, critically stating that I only wear the supreme purple, Hampden purple.

(It's the same damn shade.)

After that banter, we talked about how officials will call purple teams "blue." We both agreed, "they're not blue!" I told her it's an old mechanic, and I will only say "blue" if my parter absolutely insists. (A lack a uniformity doesn't look good.)

A few years ago, during our annual pre-season conference, an instructor mentioned that usage of two-syllable colors is becoming more accepted, and several older officials reacted as if he said 2+2=5. Personally, I don't see the big deal about one syllable. I can see "gold" for yellow, and even "red" for maroon, but what's so hard about spitting out an extra syllable crisply, especially when we should be all about "getting it right?"

I will always use blue for purple, red for maroon and sometimes orange, gold for yellow. For me this is simpler for everybody to understand. It is also a carry over from football, as it is easier to call our blue or red, when dealing with a pile-up over a fumble. The players hear the call and start to stop fighting for the ball. As for on the basketball court, I have never seen anybody object to the shortened color calls we use. Just be sure to discuss it with your partner(s) and the table.

I personally don't give a crap. I do the single syllable because it's what's done, and this isn't an issue worthy of bucking the trend. If I have a partner that insists on "purple" or "yellow", I'm not going to cause any problems.

I've never heard a single player, at any level, complain about the practice. No one really gets that knotted up about it except officials, in my experience.

Most of the players would probably not like to be reminded that they are wearing purple anyway... :cool:

Purple is blue.

Here is what I heard at camp last weekend (granted this was a women's college level camp). "When you go to Tennessee are you going to call them gold or red - no, they are orange!" Use the word for the actual color.

At the HS level here we pretty much stick to one syllable colors.

And if I work Tennessee games, I'll be happy to yell out "Volunteer Orange"

Because if it was a men's college level camp, they would never say anything like this???:confused:

I say one syllable words because it is easier to understand with a whistle in your mouth and easier to understand when running or moving. And that is not going to change whether people like it or not. And since I hardly ever hear anyone be confused by saying "blue" for a color like purple (or the other colors that similarily match another two-syllable color), I do not see this changing in my game anytime soon.

Peace

It's a big (enough) deal to some people. I don't get why, but I get that it is.

If one of those "some people" is someone I work for, or want to work for, or has the ear of someone I want to work for, then I do it the way that person wants.

My high school's road uniforms were orange. We were always called red. I don't remember ever getting twisted up about this. Blue it is.

In My Little Corner Of Connecticut ...
 

... I say what my interpreter tells all 325 of us to say: "Blue".

(Been doing it this way for thirty-three years, so I guess that I'm one of those 2+2=5 guys.)

Orange is one syllable to me.

Yellow will always be gold and I'll never, ever say "purple."

Purple = blue
Teal = blue
Maroon, Orange = Red


I am old school I guess and will use the one syllable word.

If the game is at UT aren't they most likely wearing white as the home team ????

Only on the politically correct woman's side would somebody say that to a camper.....hope you weren't on that court more than once....������������

We are told to call the team's actual color. Meaning we don't say "red" if their color is maroon, nor do we say "blue" if their color is actually purple.

I don't know why we were told that, but I don't see the problem in calling a team by their actual color anyway. Heck, the other team is "white", so it's not like the scorekeeper is going to get them confused.