This is the easiest part to follow.
Editor's Note: This is Part 2 of a multi-part series on trying to codify fan behavior for the betterment of all college athletics and their fans as determined by my best judgment. Part 1 can be found here.
[THE LAW]
Part B: Apparel
[Sec. 1(a)]
(a) GENERAL RULE: An individual attending a game involving a primary or secondary team, either home or away, must wear either a primary or secondary colored item of the individual’s team.
[Sec. 1(b)]
(b) EXCEPTIONS- (1) The provision allowing for the wearing of a secondary color shall not apply and it will be required that an individual wears the primary color of the team if the team’s nickname, identity, or significant impact on society relates to a specific color to a game at home or away. However if a person is wearing an official uniform or jersey that players wear or have worn in the past that is a secondary color that is not white, that uniform will be acceptable.
(2) Exception (b)(1) shall be void if a specific white or non-qualifying piece of apparel has extreme significant sentimental value.
(3) The provision stating that an item must be worn can be substituted for body paint or what would otherwise be a non-qualifying item if the non-qualifying outfit is a costume that is trimmed with the school’s color(s).
- (4) Subsection (a) shall not apply if in the event of a recognized special holiday or event you wear a conforming outfit of that special occasion to a game.
(5) Subsection (a) shall be satisfied if in formal or business attire, accessories or shirts are of team colors or additional team related apparel is added.
This is a fairly simple rule I believe. You just have to wear the colors of your teams when attending the games. This seems pretty obvious and something that most people do anyway. However, a lot of fans that attend games just go and do not care what they wear. This not only looks awful on television and in person, but if you are in fact a huge fan this sadly misrepresents you in public, especially on the road. If you even call yourself the most basic of fans you should be wearing team colors to a game.
The first exception is more of a mandate though. If your school is specifically identified with a certain color, you have to wear that color and not white or a secondary color. For instance, in Syracuse’s case, you must wear orange. They are the Syracuse Orange, not the Syracuse White or the Syracuse Navy. Now don’t get me wrong, I own plenty of navy or white SU shirts, but I do not wear them to games. This is the same with Alabama being the Crimson Tide or Texas Tech being the Red Raiders. You see the point of the rule. However, this rule also must take into account the situation that Syracuse and various schools have where they wear navy football uniforms at home as their standard home jersey and not orange, which is their primary (and actually their only official) color. Thus there is the exception to the exception that if you are wearing an official jersey that is current or used to be worn that is a color that is not white, that should be acceptable. This is despite the fact that they do sell orange football jerseys seeing as they are not their standard uniform either home or away. But in a situation like basketball where there is clearly a home and away jersey, white and orange respectively, clearly no one should own the white one. Everyone should be wearing the orange jersey. Especially in the case of a team like Syracuse where it is their main identity as the Orange. White is the enemy of almost this entire rule.
Exception (2) is written in the case of some item that would be otherwise in violation has sentimental or personal value to an individual, so they wear it to all games. The word extreme is added because it needs to be greater then simple tradition or superstition. We are talking like on his death bed your father handed you something. It is monumental events that would let someone wear a white jersey in the Carrier Dome during a basketball game. Obviously extreme is a term that requires a judgment to be made, but you see the threshold that I’ve articulated in the father example. We are talking super meaningful. The point of this is there needs to be extremely compelling reasons to allow an individual to wear white or a non-conforming color to a game, especially when it is Syracuse or another specific school with an identified color.
Exception (3) allows for idiots to paint themselves if they want. I would never do it, but if that’s your thing go nuts people. The second half of the exception is what I’d dub “The Monkey Suit Exception”. Basically it allows people to dress up in chicken suits, gorilla suits, look like Green Man, or anything of the like, as long as you trim the outfit with team colors or various team related apparel. People like to wear that stuff for some reason. Orange man would easily be more awesome however. I know you're out there. Good work.
Exception (4) is the "Holiday Rule". Last year Syracuse played on Halloween and people wore various costumes to the game. This would also be the case that people wear Santa hats to basketball games over winter break. These are all acceptable in recognizing various points during the calendar year in which it would be acceptable to wear such outfits in society.
Exception (5) is the professional's exception. It lets people come right from work to a game and still be fans that are in compliance. If you are a woman and happen to have a blouse that is a team’s color you’re all set. For gentlemen you can wear a team tie, or at least a tie of a team's colors, to a game and be all set. Or obviously a dress shirt that is team colors. Lapel pins could also help, but either way you at least are showing visible support of your team.
Overall, the major point of this legislation is that people wear their team’s colors to games. Seems pretty basic, yet I see it violated all the time at any given game in the Salt City. This is pretty basic for a fan to follow and probably the easiest besides Part A's rules.
Exception (5) is the professional's exception. It lets people come right from work to a game and still be fans that are in compliance. If you are a woman and happen to have a blouse that is a team’s color you’re all set. For gentlemen you can wear a team tie, or at least a tie of a team's colors, to a game and be all set. Or obviously a dress shirt that is team colors. Lapel pins could also help, but either way you at least are showing visible support of your team.
Overall, the major point of this legislation is that people wear their team’s colors to games. Seems pretty basic, yet I see it violated all the time at any given game in the Salt City. This is pretty basic for a fan to follow and probably the easiest besides Part A's rules.
Labels: Basketball, Business Ethics, Expert Analysis, Football, Legislation
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