At the start of one semifinal game of the Illinois high school class 3A basketball tournament yesterday, North Lawndale was assessed a technical foul for having an illegal stripe on their uniforms. Their opponents made one of the associated free throws, started the game with possession of the ball, and in the end won the game by one point. The rule says that the front and back of the jersey must be a single solid color (white home, dark visitor) and that side inserts must be centered vertically below the armpits and be a maximum of four inches wide. North Lawndale has a stripe that comes too far around the front. You can ask why no foul had been assessed before now. North Lawndale had been wearing the jerseys for two years without incident, though officials claim to have warned them several times. State officials say that it is only at this level that have enough control to actually enforce the rule. You can also ask why this rule is needed at all. Full story in the Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-21-lawndale-jerseymar21,0,6599783.story).
These officials have a bright future at the NCAA. Remember how the U of Hawaii's rainbow uniforms incensed the NCAA's sense of propriety and they quickly outlawed that? Like, maybe the red splosh on the Hawaii uniform would make Cornell toss the ball away to the other side?