Late to the party here, but, my views:
I took a break from officiating in-between knickers and black pants. I started in knickers. I liked them. A lot. But, I had six or seven pair because they became dirty so quickly and getting them clean was hard. If you bleached them, they'd start to yellow quickly. I had a few "mudder" pairs I'd use for bad weather; they had faded brown mud stains on them that wouldn't lift. I'd buy a new pair or two every season and by the end, they'd be good to go for the seconds/mudder pile.
We also had the white tunnel shorts back in the day, too, which we could wear for sub-varsity games. We'd wear them and they, too, had the same issues. That fabric just sucked up the mud and dirt. Also, as another person posted, with long knickers, you couldn't wear much under them except the white long johns.
We also had to wear the black/white "stirrup" socks which would tear up your feet because of the stirrup loop. We then went to one-piece socks which were MUCH nicer, but, if they became muddy/dirty, you might be buying a few more pair. I think I had six pair of those before they became obsolete for the same reason(s).
The new pants I wasnt a fan of at first but now I think they look great. A guy I worked with this past Saturday at a Spring Scrimmage calls them "clown pants." He's correct in his case 'cause they fit so poorly. A few people have them looking really good, nicely tailored. I'm afraid if I take mine in "down yonder" they'd rip. I'm there to work a game, not work in high fashion.
I like the new pants, and, despite the nostalgia, I will take the black pants every time. I can wear whatever I want under them and I wear the black socks (Force 3, Pro Feet, etc) instead of the clown socks.
...still, though, they did look interesting. Now in retrospect they look goofy.
