Purpose Behind a Rules?
 

Okay FED people.

Can anyone explain why, in the day and age of the optic yellow ball, players are not allowed to have white or gray colored gloves? Or why they can wear a sweatband, but not an Armstrong armband or cloth friendship bracelet?

High school players are not allowed to wear jewlery at all, which includes bracelets of all types (except medic alert). It is a safety issue.

The sweatband is functional. Your other examples are decorative - hence, jewelry.

Pitchers are not allowed to use equipment that is distracting to the batters. A white glove, I guess, is viewed as distracting - not just because it is the same color as the ball... Anyway, aren't white balls still legal (even if rare)?

Don't know why the white / gray glove is also illegal for position players.

White balls are allowed by rule still, and I have, on occassion run into a school that is using them. Did a TAPPS game a couple of years ago where the visiting school wanted to use their balls, since the host team was using "white" balls. We played with the white.

An additional explanation I was given (although specificly relative to football at the time) was that NFHS is concerned with extraneous anythings which might then be used to display gang colors or signs. In that case, the issue was the color of towels, which must be white without any markings. I think it is fair to assume the same policy has extended to wearing even rubber bands or cloth bands, unless it is considered to have a sport function (like a sweatband).

Steve has hit the nail on the head, so to speak.

One of the issues NFHS has always strived for is the uniformity of the uniform. Extraneous anythings have always been frowned upon. the "exposed undergarment" issue is one of those. Same is true over in track: if someone on a relay team is wearing black tights and another red tights, we now have an issue. There was a pretty good track team up here which lost a state meet not too long ago because of this issue.

We can also get into the legal issues of loco parentis if you'd like. But...no jewelry, no wrist bands, no nothin.