You may be on to something there. I don't pretend to know the cultural significance of beads (my DNA test said I was the whitest guy in the world), but I would think that soft beads would have all sorts of advantages.
Another Hair Beat Controversy
- Thread starter Grace T.
- Start date
MacDre
PREMIER
Unfortunately it causes more breakage.
MacDre
PREMIER
I agree with your argument but I don’t think it negates the fact that arbitrarily mischaracterizing something of cultural significance a hazard based on speculation and conjecture is discriminatory. I say present all valid arguments.
In general, regardless of race, girls and women tend to be very sensitive about their hair. I don't mean sensitive in the pejorative, but that its an identity and very important to them. I just don't see the point in singling out a young girl and prohibiting them from playing because of their hairstyle. I don't know why the ref couldn't simply say to the coach "hey just a heads up the league doesn't recommended beaded hair for safety reasons, you might want to keep that in mind for the next game not all of us are as cool as Baldref 
" and leave it at that. Making a kid take out their beads or get kicked out of the game is a punishment that doesn't fit the crime.
" and leave it at that. Making a kid take out their beads or get kicked out of the game is a punishment that doesn't fit the crime.
Agree, but I note the test under the FIFA rules is not whether something is dangerous. The FIFA rules ban all jewelry including expressly rubber bands, which i think we can all agree is not a hazard. AYSO only allows exceptions for medical ID bracelets which must be taped down, and are the harshest on casts and earrings (even requiring girls who just got pierced to remove them). When I was reffing AYSO, I got lectured once because a player had on a Hindu red string band and I let them play (which in club we'd usually allow at the time) and AYSO said absolutely not.
Aren't new piercings with the initial studs in them just as big of a problem? AYSO makes them take it out too.In general, regardless of race, girls and women tend to be very sensitive about their hair. I don't mean sensitive in the pejorative, but that its an identity and very important to them. I just don't see the point in singling out a young girl and prohibiting them from playing because of their hairstyle. I don't know why the ref couldn't simply say to the coach "hey just a heads up the league doesn't recommended beaded hair for safety reasons, you might want to keep that in mind for the next game not all of us are as cool as Baldref
Dismissive and insensitive?
Where in your post did you address the core safety issue?
Weights in hair could pose a safety issue if the weighted end of the hair hits another player's eye.
I don't really care if the beads are in curly black hair or straight blonde hair. I've seen both. Either way, a weight on a string near eyes sounds like a bad idea.
MacDre
PREMIER
More speculation and conjecture? Where’s the “proof” math Dad?
Proof?
Referees are not qualified to make up their own rules based on what they do or do not think is safe. That is someone else's job.
The rule says nothing hard. The referee is enforcing that rule.
End of story. Even if you are right that beads are fundamentally different from earrings or hair clips, that is not the referee's decision to make.
MacDre
PREMIER
The rules also say protect players and don’t allow discrimination. So, are you advocating enforcing some rules while ignoring others?
I do not believe it is discrimination.
If you want to solve the problem, work to help parents find hair styles without hard objects that work for tight curls.
Or, if you have the qualifications, help AYSO crunch the data to figure out how to write a different rule that is safe and easy to enforce.
But calling people racist does not help. It just gives us one more reason to avoid each other.
Well the good news is that none of the posters here have called the rule racist, its been a civil conversation for a sensitive topic. The other good news is that organizations are realizing beads aren't a safety issue and are doing away with the rule like the high school soccer association. No need to jump through hoops to crunch data looking for a safety problem that doesn't exist. Just get rid of the frivolous rule. Also no need for organizations to dictate what's best for us when individuals can assume the risk, which in this case the risk is slim to none.
Soccer Dad & Ref
SILVER ELITE
twoclubpapa
SILVER ELITE
My July 2022 issue of Referee magazine arrived yesterday and it included an article communicating changes in the NFHS Soccer Rules for 2022-23. The title of the article is "Fair Hair Care" with subtitle "Hair Beads Now Legal in Most Instances in NFHS Play. The following text has been added to Rule 4.2.2 Other Equipment: "Hair control devices and other adornment in the hair that are securely fastened to the head and do not present a risk to the player and opponents are allowed." The article shows 11 illustrations of beads in hair; five legal, six illegal.
There's also an article at NFHS.org discussing the rule change and it explains that "The allowance of hair adornments and specifically beads is an attempt to be more inclusive of participants’ cultural and religious beliefs." See https://nfhs.org/articles/hair-adornments-permitted-in-high-school-soccer/
My observation is that in recent years the education community has been sensitive to recognizing and respecting student's expression of cultural and religious beliefs and has made appropriate changes to HS rules to this end while maintaining a focus on safety for the student athlete.
There's also an article at NFHS.org discussing the rule change and it explains that "The allowance of hair adornments and specifically beads is an attempt to be more inclusive of participants’ cultural and religious beliefs." See https://nfhs.org/articles/hair-adornments-permitted-in-high-school-soccer/
My observation is that in recent years the education community has been sensitive to recognizing and respecting student's expression of cultural and religious beliefs and has made appropriate changes to HS rules to this end while maintaining a focus on safety for the student athlete.
Orangeteam
SILVER ELITE
Soccer Dad & Ref
SILVER ELITE
I think this is like the fingernail length question I had. Until the item is being used dangerously by someone, you can allow it. People have elbows, fingers, and cleats that are more dangerous than a hair bead. Why are folks looking for some things that aren't even proven to be dangerous?
He addressed the safety issue by pointing out that there is no evidence that any safety issue exists. He is asking for evidence that the beads are a safety issue, which certainly seems like a reasonable first step before banning an accoutrement that is specific to girls of one race.
Let's be honest, AYSO refs - on average - are terrible, though exceptions exist. And without competent refs and competent oversight by AYSO (something AYSO lacks across the board) judgments like this with a discriminatory effect are bound to happen even when there's no discriminatory intent on the part of the particular ref.
baldref
GOLD
let's be honest. Your statement exposes you has having zero credibility.
I call a foul on this one. While it certainly may be true ayso refs are less competent than club refs,you havent been reading because this is not a ref problem. First it’s a laws problem. If you bother to read the original post you’ll see that the laws don’t lay out a dangerous or not dangerous test for jewelry. Even rubber Bands, which are clearly not dangerous, are prohibited. Second it’s an ayso (and other orgs) problem for those orgs unlike Nfhs that insist on enforcing the laws strictly. Ayso only allows a deviance from the rule for medical bracelets and doesn’t for example allow new piercings or Hindu prayer strings. To change things you don’t need to better educate refs. You either have to take it up with the fa, or get the us orgs that oversee soccer to implement a variance.
Because the rules say so. Rubber bands aren’t as dangerous as cleats or elbows or even the ball but the rules prohibit them.