Question Number: 14905

Law 4 - Players Equipment 2/26/2007

RE: varies

Mark de Regt of Seattle, WA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 3902

Under law 4, "A player must not use equipment or wear anything which is dangerous to himself or another player."

Then you go on to say, "I cannot imagine any situation where a baseball cap presents a danger to anyone."

I play (year round) and referee in the Seattle area, where it rains. A lot. Ten months a year. I wear glasses, and I am not unique in that regard. When it rains, I cannot see. I have a foam-billed baseball hat, which fixes that. Like you, I cannot imagine any situation where a baseball cap presents a danger to anyone. So why should a field player not be allowed to wear one when conditions warrant?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Mark, this particular question referred to USA High School rules and therein is the stipulation that a cap's brim be foam. Applying logic or the Laws of the Game to USA High School rules produces funny looks and confusion amongst reasonable folks.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

A player wearing a hard brim baseball cap goes up for a header and sticks an opponent in the eye with the brim of the cap. How is that NOT dangerous?

Answer provided by Referee Nathan Lacy

I also referee in the Seattle area Mark and wearing glasses in the rain can certainly be problematic - especially up here where it rains incessantly. If your comments are contrained to a foam-billed baseball cap then I would agree. However, not all baseball caps are of this construction nor are they all created equaly. Each one must be judged on thier own merit. In my opinion, if you as the referee feel that the hat constitutes a danger to another player then it should not be allowed - period. As Ref Contarino points out a baseball cap with a hard brim could indeed injur another player. My point here is that just because it's a baseball cap doesn't make it "acceptable." Take a CLOSE look at it and if it has a hardness to the brim that might make it a reasonable hazard to another player then do not allow it. Remember, one of our primary responsibilities is player safety and, in my opinion, it is always best to err on the conservative side than to be a little lax and end up with an injury. All the best,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Caps that are hard brimmed could be dangerous in many ways. If every player wore a hard brimmed cap, it would cause a lot of injuries during game.