Last rites for knickers?
 

Texas has all but eliminated them -- they're optional by state rule, but all chapters I've heard about are going 100% black pants. Its interesting that just 2 years ago, black pants were the heavy version and only worn with long sleeves. Now, they're standard wear.

Anyone still wearing knickers this year?

Optional in Indiana this year as well. Doubt we'll see many knickers.

I didn't wear them *last* year. I threw them all out. I've read that the NFL will be eliminating them this year (if the officials ever come back).

I have not worn them in a season in a half. Optional in our state but almost no one wears them other than lower level officials.

Peace

All but a few hold out crews (want to take a stab at the over/under for average age?) have gone to black pants. Next year knickers won't even be an option in Texas and I welcome that day.

It is a bit amazing how quickly the tide turned but I think once they started being worn, a lot more eyes opened up as to how much better they are.

Two years ago NC wore black pants starting in October. Last season we eliminated knickers in our association. I'm not sure if all 9 groups have totally eliminated them yet.

I think someone told me that PA still uses them.

I've got around 8 pair I need to eBay I guess.

Good luck. I wouldn't even pay the shipping charges!

Still optional in the land of Lincoln. We wore black twice last season (muddy conditions). Our average age is late 40's. I still like the traditional look. Most outdoor sports officials are dressed similar to the players, by that I mean, if the players are on shorts so are the officials. That said I "get" why the pants are popular. I feel they look much better with the 2" stiped shirt however.

Wanna buy some cheap knickers in Neb?

Last year they were optional in Ohio. This year black pants are required.
If I got home in time from my game on Friday, I would watch the highlights on 5 in Cincinnati. The sports lasted 20 minutes with about 12 Ohio games, maybe 1 crew in knickers . They also had 10 Northern Kentucky games and 5 Indiana games and I think both states were all in knickers. We only had 1 real muddy game and the black pants washed up very nice. Our U got hit in the back and fell in the mud in the middle of the field, completely covered his right side and it came out. He said knickers would have been ruined. By the way, our U is 6'5 280 lbs, the tackle that hit him was much bigger.
I do not miss knickers. But I do have a brand new pair of Northwestern striped socks I have no use for now. I guess I can wear them under my boots when I shovel snow!

I worked with an R year before last on the 2nd week of September. He stated we would be wearing the black pants, which were optional at that time. After wearing them once, I swore I'd never wear knickers again. In TN black pants are mandatory for 2012 and I have not broken my vow.

Knickers were accepted as a crew option last season. I wore them once when I filled in with another crew. I decided to toss them in my bag at the last minute before I left the house. When I got to the game site I discovered that nobody else on the crew even owned black pants.

We wore them (knickers) in Pa last year (were only allowed to wear the blacks with long sleeves, basically only foul weather) but have heard that we are going to be being given the option to go either black or knickers. Guess I'll just pack both and hope for a younger "white hat".

That is correct. Since virtually all TV games will show officials in the black pants, I don't think anyone will be wearing knickers from 2013 on.

The next project is to get 2" stripes OK'd for HS.

Well in your situation I would understand you holding on to them. But we made a crew decision and we do not wear them anymore. Also I hated the socks and trying to hold them up. That alone was worth getting rid of silly looking pants. :D

Peace

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the stripes we wear in HS now. I know you Texas guys are NCAA rules and that's fine but I'm sick and tired of having to buy new crap just because the college level guys are switching to blue bean bags nee' black, wider stripes, etc.

What blows my mind is NC is going to allow some white on the shoes this year and some of our college guys actually went against it so the local association is going to be tighter on it than the state- and THEY get to wear shoes w/white already??!!
:mad:

Hear ya, there. I had a supply of athletic tape available to wrap around the top of my socks to hold them in place.

[QUOTE=JRutledge;849737]Well in your situation I would understand you holding on to them. But we made a crew decision and we do not wear them anymore. Also I hated the socks and trying to hold them up. That alone was worth getting rid of silly looking pants. :D

The whole fashion arc for officials is somewhat interesting to track. All black stirrups, to striped stirrups, to one piece socks. Baseball certainly has many more fashion changes over the past 50+ years.
I recall the switch in lacrosse in the early 90's. We wore football knickers in foul weather. Not bad when it was cold, but not much help in the rain. At that time we went to an all black "rain" pants. Looked odd, but certainly a better tool for the conditions.
I like the pants for foul weather in football too, but the bright white knickers on a crisp fall evening just scream FOOTBALL! Of course the dingy yellow knickers on a freezing, rainy, muddy night screamed OLD SKOOL :D

Now if we can get the CFL to ditch knickers, that'll really put a fork in 'em. ;)

If I was asked to fill in on another crew, I would ask what they were planning on wearing. If knickers, I'd decline since I don't own knickers anymore. Same if the crew wore white shorts (which, to me, looks horrible in a varsity game but is apparently OK here).

Perhaps it's cause I'm a Texas guy, but the 2 inch stripes look infinitely better with black pants than a high school shirt...at least IMO.

Shorts are a no no here in Illinois for varsity, and in my opinion should be in Soph as well...The new back shorts I am seeing in the catalog with the white stripe look worse than the white shorts...

You can thank Texas for that and I don't really like them either though I will say I sure don't think they look worse than white shorts! :eek:

The same pants we wear at the HS level, I wear at the college level. The stripe is bigger at only the NFL level.

And why would you care what color is on the shoes? It is almost impossible for some to fine a comfortable shoe and compound that with they must be all black is even harder.

Peace

I get the impression that there are some college officials that see things like white on shoes, 2" stripes and now black bean bags as "their things" and that they shouldn't be worn at the HS level.

The wider acceptance of shoes with white on them would be the next thing I'd like to see. It is getting harder to find a good pair of all black shoes. I stopped caring this year and bought the Adidas Turf Hogs. Fortunately we are in an environment where I can get away with that.

I think he was talking about the width of the stripes on the shirts not the pants...

I think he was talking about the 2" stripes on the shirts.

That's not possible. Nothing looks worse than the white shorts.

You guys are right. I was not even thinking about the shirt and only the pants.

We would not even wear those shirts for HS and I honestly do not know how you get them without the sublimated placard on the current shirts.

Peace

That's up to your state or association, of course, but I buy new gear just about every year, so a change isn't THAT big a deal. I have 4 nice, perfectly fine and recently purchased football shirts with the 1" stripes and about half a dozen that could be wearable at a scrimmage or subvarsity game. (I'm searching for an iPhone app to catalog all my basketball gear!), I would have no problem purchasing 4 new 2" striped shirts if we switched, knowing that we wouldn't go back. If we do, I'll gladly send you my stash of 1" stripes!

I would understand your argument better in the context of the baseball guys -- having to keep multiple shirts of different colors. Yeah, that'd be a huge pain. But we're going to have to replace our shirts at some point anyway.

I don't think Texas was alone in having this issue.

For those that don't know, Texas apparently commissioned Honigs and other equipment suppliers to come up with a new short -- one with a white stripe down the sides like the pants. it wasn't a fashion statement -- it was because there was no "uniform" all black short being worn. A lot of guys were wearing long, basketball style shorts that don't really look good on the field and, regardless of looks, created uniformity problems among the officials working.

I don't think Texas is alone on this issue, its just that they are the first state to change a design because of it. But then, others may have thought about it as well, so if someone outside of Texas is claiming ownership of the idea, fine. I don't particularly like the design, but I understand the goal and agree with it if it can help us get shorts on subvarsity games early in the year.

It's funny that the "basketball shorts" was one of the reasons given for the new design. Well wouldn't you know it, about a week after I bought my new football shorts, I found an almost dead ringer in design but they were sweat shorts. Pockets, white stripe along the sides but a draw string instead of belt loops.

In other words, "Good luck with that."

I have never worn any basketball short that looks anything like the style these football shorts look like. I would not wear any such thing as a basketball official either. You would look like a clown if you did come to games looking like that in summer basketball. Just sayin.

Peace

Jeff, not basketball officiating shorts but shorts worn while playing basketball aka sweat shorts.

The same shorts I wear officiating are the same shorts I would wear playing. Those shorts just created look like neither.

That is unless you look like the dude in the gym that cannot play basketball. :D

Peace

So just because you don't means nobody else wears them? :) Stop being obtuse. The point is that sweat shorts were found that had pockets and white stripes and could easily be worn to look like the new football shorts that were just released to combat the problem of officials wearing sweat shorts.

First of all there was a lot of sarcasm in my comments. I was being silly to make a larger point. Stop taking yourself and this discussion so seriously.

The reality is that these shorts look almost nothing like what an athletic person would wear or someone that has never been athletic. They look like coach’s shorts that look kind of silly and nonathletic to begin with.

And if you want to know the truth, I would never wear any shorts for a HS level game of any kind. This is not an issue for me at all. And I belong to a crew that never would and never has worn shorts for regular season games. If I wore shorts at all it would be the Pop Warner, Bill George type of games and early in the year when it is really hot. And for the record the shorts are the same shorts I would wear officiating basketball, the type I bought at Athletic Stores that you would buy to play basketball.

Peace

[QUOTE=D Ray;849748]I am on a crew that is clinging desperately to the white knickers. I had to beg and plead to wear the black pants for just one game last year. And this is with 3 guys working small college ball and already wearing the black pants on Saturdays. They think it is as you say, truly football to wear the knickers.

I hate the striped socks, hate knickers, think the black pants look good and feel good. I can only hope Illinois makes the move to dropping kickers all together!

[QUOTE=stevegarbs;849813]Out of the 8 State Final crews, only 1 crew wore knickers last year. Maybe you just need to get on a different crew. :D

Peace

[QUOTE=JRutledge;849818]Trust me, Rut, I was texting them at the start of each final game with a report on what the crews were wearing. These guys are so old school, they would rather wear the old jockey caps and throw red flags...

But they are a solid crew with a total of 8 finals under the belts already. I can't do better!

I was joking about the getting a different crew. I am sure the crew is fine. I just find it funny when guys cannot change. The pants always looked stupid to me and I am glad they opportunity to wear something else took place. I am also glad that when this decision was made by the IHSA to allow us to wear black pants, my crew did not hesitate one bit and decided the change was best.

Peace

Still an option in ND. Our association just sent out an email stating that black pants only at all levels.

Our local association eliminated them at our opening clinic two days ago. I had co mplained to the assignor that too many uniform options are expensive. "Let's simplify this thing."

Black shorts for JV and lower as a heat option. Otherwise, black pants.

Unfortunately, the State of Iowa still says that black pants are for foul weather games only. I just wish that those making the decision would pay attention to what the other states are doing, and what the officials are actually wearing no matter what the conditions are.

In house cleaning over Christmas, I tossed all knickers, including a brand new, never worn, pair. Socks too. If I ever move to Iowa, I guess I'll only work foul weather games!

Mine are still sitting in the Goodwill box in the basement. I have one pr of Cliff Keen still in the plastic I think I'm going to keep in case we ever have "throwback" night. I guess softball players could take them and get the side pockets sewn shut or somebody would buy them to make a Halloween costume. I hate just trashing them.

I think they're a thing of the past.

You'll regret that when some filmmaker comes to your meeting looking for a crew use in filming a nostalgic football movie, and you were going to be in it, but didn't have a uniform for the time period.

Actually, it's the totally irrational fear that someday there may be a throwback game I wouldn't get to work that keeps one set of knickers and the socks that go with them in my closet. Such fears could drive a man to hoarding.

Amen!

I've actually done that before -- in basketball (except the nostalgic part). You can see me in a TV show in the late '90s -- I won't divulge for sake of anonymity. Anyway, it is fun to talk about now, but I wouldn't do it again for several reasons.

Besides, with all the suppliers and extra knickers, someone will sell me a pair cheap if I change my mind.

They look good on TV

I, for one, loved the knickers. We officially got rid of them in Ohio last year. I don't know why they couldn't have left them as optional. Those that wanted to where them, could have. I do not like the wide legged black pants. I feel like Al Bundy.