Fashion Statement?

[prab]

One of our local TV stations broadcasts a high school game of the week.  Last night's edition showed an officiating crew of 5.  4 were wearing wide stripes and 1 was wearing narrow stripes.  In our state, either wide or narrow stripes are OK, but all 5 are expected to be the same.  I didn't see enough of the game to know whether the announcers commented on it.  Just looked strange.

[FLAHL]

That's a bad look. Unless all officials carry both shirts to every game, I guess it's inevitable.

[Atlanta Blue]

Georgia is all wide stripes now.  But there was a year (maybe two) where the wide stripes were optional.  But the entire crew had to be the same.  Our local association just went ahead and mandated the change for all of their officials just to avoid situations like this.  Did the same thing with black pants a couple of years earlier.

[ncwingman]

That's a bad look. Unless all officials carry both shirts to every game, I guess it's inevitable.

That sounds like it's something that the crew should coordinate ahead of time. It's only inevitable with a lack of preparation.

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Uniforms should be uniform. Someone screwed up.

NY went optional on the wide stripes last year and mandatory this year. Since there were some supply problems at Cliff Keen early in the season, my crew last year decided that we wouldn't bother getting them at all. Obviously, we've all got them this year, and my narrow stripes are now packed away with the lacrosse gear.

[Ralph Damren]

If you are going to be a team, you should look like a team. If you are wearing different shirts, you are:

  (1) An all-star team;

  (2) A rag/tag team with lack of communication or care.
 

[Rulesman]

If you are going to be a team, you should look like a team. If you are wearing different shirts, you are:

  (1) An all-star team;

  (2) A rag/tag team with lack of communication or care.

FIFY 

[AlUpstateNY]

Many "smart" officials learn early in their careers to pack extra "stuff" (shirts, whistles, flags, even pants, etc) in their equipment bags to cover for their crew mates who may have a brain fart and forget something.  It can cause some (usually humerus) ill-fitting situations, but is better than having an odd man out, who is most often subject to post-game meeting (buying) consequences.

However, in the BIG picture, it's really not going to affect the game, or matter very much to anyone other than other officials, on the field, or those watching from afar, or on film long after everyone has gone home.

[ALStripes17]

If you are going to be a team, you should look like a team. If you are wearing different shirts, you are:

  (1) An all-star team;

  (2) A rag/tag team with lack of communication or care.

I prefer the former when addressed

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[VALJ]

Georgia is all wide stripes now.  But there was a year (maybe two) where the wide stripes were optional.  But the entire crew had to be the same.  Our local association just went ahead and mandated the change for all of their officials just to avoid situations like this.  Did the same thing with black pants a couple of years earlier.

Same thing with our association a few years back, when Virginia went to wide stripes. Exceptions were made for when the supplier couldn't come up with shirts in time, but other than that, we mandated wide stripes from the start. Especially because VHSL told us that playoff games were wide stripes only.