I read a post about the new grey shirts and I also read about patent leather shoes and pleated pants. Some people do not like any of these and some people do. To each his own. I just wanted to make a few comments and hear what others think. This summer I heard a supervisor, who still works BIG TIME basketball, speak about uniforms and more specifically socks. He said that if someone wears "footies" that don't really show they are trying to look like the ball players. He also mentioned that out of 60 guys if you are the one that wears these socks you will stand out and not in a good way. I say this to say that I've always taken the approach that if you want to move up then do what those above you are doing. If you want to be different then do what they are doing better. Bucking the system often times makes you stand out in a negative way. I would only get patent leather shoes if higher level officials started wearing them. I was very happy to buy pleated pants. They are more comfortable and they are what the big guys are wearing. I would like to know what everyone else thinks.

Tomegun, I agree whole heartedly, don't buck the system, and when in Rome etc. One thing I heard at a camp this year concerned sticking out however. While in the season sticking out by being different probably isn't positive at a camp it may be. For example you get the packet for camp, it mentions casual dress, shorts etc. There will always be one guy who shows up wearing the full uniform, it is not a bad thing to be that guy. The guy that mentioned this works a D-1 conference...

Sure enough, there were two officials that showed up in full "battle dress" for a camp I attended this summer. Unlike us newbies just trying to learn, they were working D1 and looking to improve their schedules. They definitely stood out.

Our chapter Pres gets real PO'd when he sees white sox.
 

I did call a Jr. High game once when my partner ( a sub from another organization) showed up wearing shorts. I was appalled.

This summer I did my first off season league, showed up in pants. Everyone else had shorts.

My general feeling is that we are not supposed to draw attention away from the game and towards us. Having a nice looking uniform is part of that mantra.

Our association is pretty lax about shorts in the summer. Some of the gyms in Iowa can get pretty hot in July and August.

Tomegun, I heard the same thing about "footies" at a camp this summer from Lou Grillo! By any chance, is that where you heard it from. Maybe it is just a coincidence.

You know, I never really thought it about it before, but don't you think its strange that basketball referees wear slacks, in a game where shorts make more sense? Soccer refs wear shorts, football refs wear pants similar to the football players. Baseball doesn't count because umps don't run around a lot. But, don't you think that, with the exception of trying to appear professional, shorts make more sense for basketball refs?

Do we all have the legs that would look good in shorts!

Well, other than the flab, the knobby knees, the variety of socks, I guess... no, I can't think of a reason!!

It's interesting that nobody has mentioned pants as far as western style or pleats. Also, the shoes haven't been mentioned. Personally, I don't care for the patent leather shoes. Part of it is because of the manufacturer of the most popular patent leather shoes and part of it is because I had a shoe man in Vegas that does a GREAT job. However, again I must say that you don't see much patent leather on TV or at major tournaments.
The shirt was also mentioned in another post. I don't mean to offend anyone and I do not have the perfect body but we shouldn't depend on a style or color of a shirt to make us look good. If a supervisor wanted me to wear a pink shirt I would do it to get games! As a side note, if we did depend on style to look good then there are a lot of refs who really need to buy some pleated pants.

What an crazy world we live it. Good style and looking good are SO subjective. One guy likes pleats, another doesn't. One guy thinks patent leather "looks sharp," another doesn't. One guy hates footies, another doesn't care. I think the only real consensus is that most of us MUST wear clothes! :)

They stand out, but at the expense of everyone who follows the instructions the camp sent out.

What an crazy world we live it. Good style and looking good are SO subjective. One guy likes pleats, another doesn't. One guy thinks patent leather "looks sharp," another doesn't. One guy hates footies, another doesn't care. I think the only real consensus is that most of us MUST wear clothes! :) [/B][/QUOTE]

Well it might not be a consensus but I think we could all agree that those at the top set the tone. I'm not one of those guys at the top but I can see that pleats are in while footies and patent leather shoes are not. If that changes I'm smart enough to change with it.

I wear pleated pants because they are comfortable and look better on my "mature" figure, but I don't like the patent leather shoes. My association does not have a policy regarding pleated/non-pleated/western style, etc. The requirements are black and look nice.

We wear shorts for the summer program for everything except AAU. We start wearing shorts around Memorial Day, but sometimes sooner. We can't wear them until the rec comissioner says it's o.k. Somebody always wants to jump the gun.