American Flag on Your Uniform....
 

Either you're for or against it, and after mulling it over for the last 5 years our crew has all come to the conclusion that we'd like to have the flag on our SS and LS tops.

Without spending all night looking for my books and online, can anyone tell me the official NFHS guideline on that. Anyone in WI that does it would be better...not sure if WIAA governs that or NFHS.

Thanks in advance.

In NY we're instructed to wear a flag in the upper center of our back, I believe it's 2" below the collar. I thought that was an NFHS requirement. Why would anyone be "against" wearing one?

Because "American Flag Etiquette" from the USA Flag site says

"The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations."

That said, we wear ours centered about 1/2 inch above the pocket.

FYI: Pennsylvania - PIAA - quote from web site

"PIAA sports' officials may display an American flag
(maximum size 2 by 3 inches) on the right sleeve of
their uniform shirt approximately three inches down
from the shoulder seam. This will be the same position
the PIAA official patch is displayed on the left
sleeve."

I thought it was 1 1/2".

I never understood why we did that.

Let me rephrase that...

No one is against it, but my crew also works other games with a few other crews during their JV/FR assignments and not all of those crews have the flag on their unies. I can understand their point....looking/dressing alike is paramount and I'm getting my crew to have dedicated "flag" stripes when we all work together as a crew.

I have seen both the pocket and the upper back. I'm pretty sure the pocket is the spot for WIAA here in WI for most of the guys I see. Guess I'll be looking into it because it'll drive me nuts now until I'm forced to look.

Thanks guys.

Crew option here. Our varsity crew wears shirts with the flag sewn onto the pocket.

In Louisiana we wear them on the right sleeve.

In Baton Rouge, since it is on the right sleeve we wear reverse field flags. We are the only one of the nine La. associations to do so.

We have several ex-military guys who got LHSAA to give us dispensation to do so.

More than once an idiot fan has commented to one of our officials that they are so dumb they even have a backwards flag on their uniform, that sort of thing.

I would prefer that we didn't wear them, for the reason stated above (prohibited by the Flag Code) but we are told to instructed to wear them so we do.

The WIAA site has a document called "Guide for Sports Officials." In it you'll find the following:

"If you choose to place the flag on your officiating
uniform, it is required the flag be sewn on the left sleeve (3 to 4 inches above the elbow). The size of the flag is not to exceed 2x3 inches."

Our crew wears the reverse flag on our right sleeve as well. I live right by the national American Legion apparel HQ so I volunteered to pick up the flags for our crew a couple years ago. They knew why I was getting them and didn't say that was an inappropriate use of wearing the flag. They did tell me though about the right sleeve/reverse flag requirement though. The idea is to wear the stars closest to your heart or something like that. We get the "stupid" comments occasionally as well.

Good on you all for doing it right. It's a shame the rest of the associations in LA don't.

Another poster gave you a good answer to give those idiot fans. Stars closest to the heart! If the idiot fan doesn't get it, tell him/her to look closely at the next flag-draped casket and you'll notice that the stars are always above the person's heart (left side).

REPLY: Here in our NJ chapter, we are required to wear ours on our back as ajmc described above.

WE do, Bob. But that's not true for the entire state.

MHSAA specifies the left sleeve 2" down shoulder with the max size of 2" X 3 "