Chewy
10 Jul 2007, 13:25
I quite liked the old uniforms worn by the umpires during the Heritage Round. It reminded me of the saying, "The men in white are always right", a point lost on all the people who want to argue with their decisions.
In recent years we've seen them wear all the colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue.
This made them stand out from the competing teams, or made them blend into the background, depending on your persective. But has it undermined their authority?
If Scott McLaren penalises a player 50 metres for back-chat, is it because it's harder to take him seriously when he's dressed in orange? Would players be less likely to abuse him if he was dressed in white?
And why should the umpires have to change their colours? The AFL don't force Essendon or Collingwood to wear proper clash jumpers, so why do the umpires have to wear clown costumes. If Sydney play Geelong, why can't both sides wear alternate jumpers to avoid a clash with the umpires.
In recent years we've seen them wear all the colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue.
This made them stand out from the competing teams, or made them blend into the background, depending on your persective. But has it undermined their authority?
If Scott McLaren penalises a player 50 metres for back-chat, is it because it's harder to take him seriously when he's dressed in orange? Would players be less likely to abuse him if he was dressed in white?
And why should the umpires have to change their colours? The AFL don't force Essendon or Collingwood to wear proper clash jumpers, so why do the umpires have to wear clown costumes. If Sydney play Geelong, why can't both sides wear alternate jumpers to avoid a clash with the umpires.