This was an era popularized by large shoulder pads, sleeveless baseball jerseys, and baggy basketball shorts. The early 2000s brought us iconic sports moments and iconic sports looks, but how has that evolved into modern sports, especially at the high school level?
Looking at the professional levels, it’s easy to understand that athletes can wear whatever they want on the field, but that’s far from the truth. Across all professional sports leagues bans on accessories happen almost every year from Odell Beckham Jr. wearing a $350,000 watch to the NBA expelling the use of carbon fiber face masks.
Under OSAA, the equipment rules for football are far more stringent than those for any other sport under the OSAA umbrella. OSAA’s official rulebook creates three sections of equipment: Mandatory equipment, auxiliary equipment, and illegal equipment, each with its own set of punishments for violations.
Violating OSAA’s mandatory and auxiliary equipment results in removal for one play, and the team is charged with a delay of the game. Both violations are mostly attributed to troubles with a player’s uniform including pants above a player’s knees and shoulder pads not being fully covered by the athlete’s jersey.
Illegal equipment violations are what most think of when talking about illegal accessories. From eye black to bandanas, OSAA has a long list of banned accessories that some would consider ridiculous. Junior lineman Tyler Bicknell is a big advocate for OSAA to decriminalize accessories on the field and states his frustration by stating, “I don’t think it’s very smart and it’s taken too far, a lot of banned accessories are not harmful to you or other people so there’s no reason for them to be banned.”
Whether OSAA decides to keep there equipment rules for the long run, some may argue that accessories can be a part of their strategy. Junior Emmalyn Turco, a utility player on Wilsonville’s softball team says their accessories are a part of the mandatory uniforms. “ We wear wristbands with all of our plays on them,” says Turco., “Are plays are mandatory and we need those to succeed.”
The last question that comes into play is, do accessories enhance your performance on the field? “Most Softball players will say look good, feel good, play good, and just the feeling of putting on fresh eyeblack can make you feel more focused,” voiced Turco.
In the end, the evolution of sports fashion from the beginning until now shows just how much the intersection of style, performance, and identity has changed over time. Whether these rules evolve as athletes continue to push boundaries remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: sports equipment is more than just clothing, it’s an integral part of the game, identity, and culture.