We all know that for a team to succeed in any sport, the team players must perform at their best level and only a great referee can ensure that the game is played fairly and that all players are treated equally. Being a referee is a job that requires a high level of skill and knowledge, and it is only given to the best of the best. NFL referees play a crucial role in every game and help maintain the order of the game. Football officials, also known as referees, have specific duties and names based on their positions. These positions include the referee, umpire, head linesman, line judge, field judge, side judge, back judge, and center judge. They all work together to ensure that the game is played fairly and everyone follows the rules. They use hand signals and radios to communicate with each other.
The officials usually wear a black and white vertically striped shirt and black trousers with a thin white stripe down the side. Officials also wear a black belt, shoes, and a baseball cap. They also have a uniform number with small letters on the back of the shirt and are called “zebras” because of their black and white striped shirt. In 2006 the uniforms were redesigned, they made black pants with white stripes down the side for winter. In the 2010 season college and high school officials were allowed to wear black pants to protect them from cold weather. In 2011 black pants became mandatory for college officials and in 2012 it became mandatory for NFL officials.
What does it mean when a referee throws their hat in the air?
The referees throw their hats in American Football for two main reasons:
Officials' hats are occasionally used as markers. If a player who is not carrying the ball steps out of bounds, the official will drop his hat to mark the spot where the player went out of bounds.
The hat also is often used to signal a second foul called by the official on a play if they have only one flag with them. If a referee throws their flag to call a penalty but sees that another penalty happens the referee will throw his hat to mark the place where the second penalty happens.
Some conferences and high school associations have said that they should not use hats in these situations and a bean bag should be used instead of a hat. The beanbag is a black thing used to mark the spot of a foul and where the ball should be placed after a foul.
FAQs on Why do refs throw their hats?
A. The referees throw flags on the ground during the play to call a penalty.
A. The referees throw bean bags on the ground during the play to mark the place where the second penalty happens.
A. If a referee touches the ball the play is stopped and the play is restarted by a 'drop-ball' from the place where the ball touched him.
