Underwear requirements?

[Geddy24]

Do you have any rules regarding what kind of underwear a player has to wear?

I'm a high school coach, and I ask because I recently ordered new uniforms for my team next year. The uniform pants are white and fairly snug. Unfortunately, the pants are also quite transparent, rendering a player's underwear almost completely visible. (This wasn't a problem before because our pants were black).

Given the transperancy issue, would making white underwear a requirement for next year be a step you'd take? Would you go even further and make sliding shorts a requirement?

Or should I not worry about this at all?

I've never really had to make rules regarding undergarments before, and I don't currently have any rules in place, so any guidance you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[redhotcoach]

My rec team/league has to wear white pants. I would recommend them to wear compression shorts/underwear like underarmour beneath them. Also anyone that has to buy pants for there daughters, get womans specific pants. The "youth" or baseball pants make for droupy crotch on girls.

 

[stephanie]

I think if they want to wear neon green underwear with big red smiley faces on them, and they KNOW it'll show under their pants, then let them!! Maybe it'll throw the other team off their game....

 

[GOINGDEEP]

See what kinda reaction you get when you require them to wear 'grannie panties'. Just for fun.

We had white shorts for HS this year. Most wore white 'boy shorts' ( women will know what those are ) or some wore white thongs. ( most men know what those are )

 

[stephanie]

But seriously, you're a HS coach, right? Don't go ANYWHERE NEAR requiring a HS girl to wear a certain kind or color of underwear...you leave yourself wide open to being misunderstood, and it's just not worth it the risk...

point out to the girls that these are white pants (duh) and anything they wear underneath will show, so they need to think hard about what they choose to wear. Then let them discuss amongst themselves what they think is good, and leave it alone.

 

[amanda_cake]

Agree with Stephanie. I don't know if you are male or female, but especially if you are male you do NOT need to discuss what sort of undergarments your girls are wearing. Tell them exactly what Stephanie says. I've also seen teams wearing razor back jerseys with bra straps sticking out. SO unattractive. If you have that style, mention that you don't want to see any straps of any sort and they'll get the hint. With white pants, I wear black sliding shorts. There isn't an issue with seeing underwear through them and you can't really see the sliding shorts through the pants unless you are looking.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

My DD's HS has a female asst coach. She handles all the feminine subjects and problems that may arise. I can't think of ANY of the schools we played against this year that didn't have at least one female on the staff. I'm not sure if it is a requirement or just smart thinking.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

You have to wear white compression pant sliders, no underwear needed. If I'm not wearing compression shorts, I'm not dressed for softball. Even with black pants you need compression shorts.

Bra straps should not be showing, because someone could catch their finger in those.

But seriously, if the girls and the parents haven't played sports, you need to spell it out for them and tell them - compression pants and sports bras. I even show them what compression pants look like.

 

[stephanie]

Thanks, Amanda for agreeing with me...what a brilliant girl you are!

Here's where I think the risk is..requiring the girls to wear a certain type or color of underwear...Too much risk involved. As a parent, I would be thinking "Who the heck is this person telling my daughter what underwear she can and cannot wear?" That being said, you can tell them that you do NOT want to see their underwear under their uniform. Period. That's part of coaching. They'll figure out what they need to wear...

 

[amanda_cake]

You have to wear white compression pant sliders, no underwear needed. If I'm not wearing compression shorts, I'm not dressed for softball. Even with black pants you need compression shorts.

This brings up another question... how many girls actually wear underwear with sliding shorts? At school, we are all changing in front of each other so we just leave our underwear on. But for tournaments and weekend games, I know some of the girls don't wear them. For me, I want them on--it feels weird without them. I do believe that you need compression/sliding shorts on regardless of what kind of pants you have on, however.

Thanks, Amanda for agreeing with me...what a brilliant girl you are!

Thank you! You just said everything I was thinking first.