where do you carry your penalty flag and why?

[Tom.OH]

I have 1 black ball (Ohio Gold Book standard) tucked on my right front. Second flag in right front pocket. Blue beanbag tucked on my left front, second beanbag in my left front pocket. For sub varsity games I only carry 1 of each. Not really sure why we need to have black ball flags because everyone knows we have them.

[Sturno]

Originally Posted by Tom.OH

I have 1 black ball (Ohio Gold Book standard) tucked on my right front. Second flag in right front pocket. Blue beanbag tucked on my left front, second beanbag in my left front pocket. For sub varsity games I only carry 1 of each. Not really sure why we need to have black ball flags because everyone knows we have them.

Same here. Right front flag tucked (went to black ball last year when ordering new stuff) and bean bag (blue - long thin "NFL style" they call it) tucked into front left. Black bean bag is a real b***h to find during night games, for the record. Used it for a few games and went away from it right before our top brass notified everyone this past off-season that we were not to use the black bean bags. I keep second flag in back pocket....only tossed it a handful of times maybe over 20+ years.

[Texas Aggie]

I think inside the belt, on either side, is, if not the only good place, the most sensible place to carry your main flag. Like JR, I used to carry a second flag deep in my front pocket -- a middle weighted flag that folded well. I've thrown it maybe 3 times, so now I don't even carry it. Wings, however, may need a second flag -- offsides or illegal formation/motion/etc. at the snap and something else downfield.

With the black pants, I think everyone should go with the flag with the black "ball" on it. At least, that's what you should buy from now on. Use what you've got now, especially for weather games, but we try to encourage guys not to have homemade equipment or home-modify stuff. It just looks unprofessional, I think.

When I work back judge, I carry a white and black bean bag and use them for team designations.

[Texas Aggie]

Black bean bag is a real b***h to find during night games

Funny story: one of the schools in my area got that blue field turf similar to Boise State installed (other schools have done red, if you believe that). Anyway, one guy that I worked with this year had a JV game the previous night at the school. When he got there, he realized all he had under the seat of his car was an old blue bean bag -- something our association has never really authorized but guys bought them. He didn't know at the time about the field and even didn't think much about it until he threw his BB during the game. Said it took him 15 minutes to find it, and someone else brought it to him!

[Welpe]

I like the look of the black bean bags until you actually need to use them. They are really hard to find on some of the poorly lit fields we work.

I wear a single flag in my waist band to the right of my belt buckle. I do have it wrapped with black athletic tape but that's not to hide it so much as it is to keep the material from bleeding yellow onto my shirts plus it adds some extra weight to the flag.

[PATRICK]

I carry one black ball flag rt front, one white beanbag lt front. I carried a black beanbag for exactly one half of one game. It took too long to find!

I sell equipment in my area, and all I sell are black ball flags, so that's becoming the local standard. Just because it's a logistical nightmare to carry yellow and white also.

[InsideTheStripe]

Yellow flag on the belt midway between the bellybutton and hip.

I can grab it with both hands and get it where it needs to be. Backup yellow flag in the back (buttoned) pocket.

I don't understand the trend of black balled flags. Everyone knows we have them. Why try to hide that fact?