What’s bugging me about sports this week? Field Hockey refs

In my almost-four years at Rowan, I’ve only been able to attend a few field hockey games. I’ve got nothing against the field hockey team; in fact, one of my roommates is on the team (#1 Jenna Lombardo, in case you were wondering). It’s just that the team plays most of their games at the same time as the soccer team does and well, I can’t be in two places at once.

Since I first learned about field hockey, I immediately thought that their uniforms were ridiculous. I mean, who wears a skirt to play a sport? That was until I ventured to The College of New Jersey this weekend to watch them take on the Lions in a huge NJAC game.

What’s bugging me isn’t the game. I was riveted by the 3-2 overtime win on a penalty stroke, but it was the referees’ uniforms that bothered me. I understand that referees aren’t the most fashionable individuals in the world, but what I witnessed at TCNJ would have offended even the least trendy person, i.e. me.

The two women refereeing wore heinous black skirts, in the freezing cold I might add, with what could only be described as one of those foam visors you used to decorate with puffy paint when you were little. Then to top it all off, they had fuchsia (or magenta, my friends and I couldn’t agree) windbreakers that were zipped all the way up to their chins.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a little harsh, but I think it is important to point out how ridiculous it is that the women referees have to wear skirts. Isn’t that a little outdated? Didn’t we get rid of that with the Title IX legislative? And fuchsia, really? Couldn’t we have at least picked a gender-neutral color like yellow or orange like soccer referees uniforms?

Field hockey isn’t just a sport for females; in fact, men compete in the sport all over the world, even in the Olympics. While the sport may have at its inception been exclusively for females, it isn’t anymore and the uniforms should reflect that.

Hey field hockey, I know I’m a newcomer to the sport and this may seem a little off-putting, but I really respect what you do. It takes a lot of athleticism. That being said, could you please get with the times? The 1970s want their clothes back.