Black pants question for umpires

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Assuming?

The reason those flags were created were to blend into the color of the pants. This was the reason for the white tipped flag in the first place. Before the white tipped flags, many official would put white tape on the ball portion of the flag so if they reached for their flag (if in their belt) it would not be as obvious as when you would reach for a yellow object. And this is also the reason the flags are suggested in many parts of the country to have them in your belt. It is not as obvious if you reach for your flag and then change your mind what sometimes happens. And no one made these flags with the black on them until the black pants were made available. That is the actually reason the flags were manufactured the way they were, not based on an assumption I am making.

Peace

So that is why they were made that way. And you are sure that every person who has one of those flags bought it because of that specific reason.

What if I told you that I worked with an official in a youth game wearing white shorts using a flag with a black ball? Obviously he is not using that flag so that it blends in with his shorts. Maybe he likes that the black flag does not show dirt on the ball portion as easily as a white or yellow one. Maybe black is his favorite color. There seem to be a lot of reasons why people could want a black or white flag. You can assume that each one of them bought the flag so that they won't be seen reaching for the yellow and I will assume that at least 1 of those flags were sold for a different reason.

And if reaching for your flag is such a big deal why don't you just not reach for it unless you are going to call a foul?