| 521 | June 24, 2022 | Walt | I agree that clothing can be a distraction and can mask the ball which limits the amount of time an opponent has to react.
|
| 521 | June 27, 2022 | DennisTPM | I don't think TDs should be responsible for policing clothing colors for tournaments. They should only be responsible for policing inappropriate words or graphics on clothing. After all, do we want TDs to have to use colorimeters to determine how close the fabric color is to the color of the ball?
If we become concerned with being able to see the ball at all times "for safety reasons" are we then going to write a rule that states "A player may not hit a ball into the sun so that his opponent cannot see it."?
If the Rules Committee wants to eliminate any future discussion about clothing color then they should add wording to 2.G that states "A player may wear any color or combination of colors, including colors that match the color of the ball, as long as the apparel doesn't depict wording or graphics that are not deemed in good taste."
|
| 521 | June 29, 2022 | J D | This rule is not needed. The reference to color of clothing should be removed from the rule book completely. While the ball may be somewhat camouflaged from clothing it is not invisible. There are many things that hinder the tracking of the ball in pickleball and we are not removing those, ie sun, lights, cloud cover, wall colors, ceiling colors. If there is an advantage to wearing a particular color all players have the same opportunity to wear that color clothing.
|
| 521 | June 30, 2022 | Michael | Change the rule that TDs can ask a player to change based on color alone. Offensive clothing is one thing, but color alone should not be grounds for TD input. Nor should there be a rule governing such. Players need to concentrate. If you don't, then learn. If your eyes have trouble discerning different colors, get stronger prescription glasses, or polarized glasses.
|
| 521 | July 6, 2022 | Beth | Players are, more and more, wearing colors that match the color of the ball. Some players are even bringing multiple shirts (orange, yellow, etc.) to a tournament for this purpose. It is unsportsmanlike conduct. The rulebook should allow referees to require a player to change clothing (particularly shirts and shorts) if the clothing is found to be a distraction -- rather than leaving this up to the TD.
|
| 521 | July 7, 2022 | Julie | This rule is not necessary. I agree that the TD should not have to police what clothes people are playing with. Banners in the backgrounds are often times the same color as the ball. A player's paddle or their hat is the same color as the ball.
|
| 521 | July 11, 2022 | Carol | Any object on the court, including apparel, that is the same color as the ball can make it more difficult for the opponents to discern the object of focus (the ball) during play. I support a rule that prohibits players from wearing apparel or carrying objects (i.e. paddles) that are the same color as the ball.
|
| 521 | July 11, 2022 | Michelle | And without guidance as to which ball is being played, are you supposed to bring 5 shirts every time you play to find one that doesn't camouflage the ball??
|
| 521 | July 12, 2022 | Melody | If we approve this, then they should also prohibit certain colors of the paddle! Which by the way I do not support. The player should be watching the ball come off the paddle, so the shirt color is less important then the paddle color. I do not support prohibiting colors of a player’s shirt.
|
