Use/misuse of a state flag on a uniform

[totc]

I went two days ago to a doubleheader between the Frederick Keys and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in the Carolina League.

Just above the nameplate of the Pelicans' road jersey is a South Carolina flag with a white palmetto and moon. But the background is not blue, but half teal and half black.

Given the obsession some people have with protecting the American flag, I am surprised that conservative South Carolinians aren't up in arms. Now, I've seen state flags on some uniforms -- Arizona Cardinals of the late 90s and early 00s, for instance, and the Maryland flag being used in one of the Baltimore Ravens' pantheon of logos. The Texas flag was used in the logo of the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football, and the C from the Colorado flag was used for the Colorado Rockies' ice hockey team.

[quantum]

In one respect, I side with not using a flag on a uniform. However, any representation of the US flag in the form of a garment is improper as well. So when I see Team USA with elements of their uniform that closely emulate the US flag, why don't people get up in arms about that?

[JohnnyFriedRice]

The obsession people have with protecting flags is ridiculous. The flag for America, as well as the flag for South Carolina and every other state and country, is nothing more than a logo (not freedom and liberty and whatever else those nuts call it). Since it is a nothing more than a logo, it can be edited and changed all you want.

I say there's nothing wrong with it.

*waves an American flag and sings the national anthem*

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

and its an offensive and racist logo on top of that.

[dpnation]

Actually, most of the colleges in South Carolina tweak the state flag with their own colors. Off the top of my head, I've seen Clemson (orange), USC (maroon/black), and Furman (purple) versions of the SC flag as car decals.

Standard state flag:

I mean, it's a pretty easy flag to adopt it to your school's colors:

[otherwilds]

The State of Tennessee Constitution bars the use of the state flag for commercial purposes. The Oilers soon to be Titans were given permission to use the image as part of the inagural season logo.

In general I belive flags should be respected and while not keenon them on uniforms but accept it because of the intent. I dont like when the flag is painted ona playing surface thus trod uopn. But I really dispise the fat guy in a American flag tank top or the biker mechanic flag-patterned bandana covering his bald head. Grrrr.

[totc]

As far as I can tell, not all states have a ban on use of a state flag for commercial purposes or alteration.

The District of Columbia doesn't, and has encouraged some to alter it for DC Statehood campaigns.

[iowahoo]

Actually, most of the colleges in South Carolina tweak the state flag with their own colors. Off the top of my head, I've seen Clemson (orange), USC (maroon/black), and Furman (purple) versions of the SC flag as car decals.

Standard state flag:

I mean, it's a pretty easy flag to adopt it to your school's colors:

Actually that second flag is the seccesionist flag here in SC.

Many of the schools around here do the half in half for their school colors.

Clemson:

USC

THey even have one that has USC (Carolina's) game as the palmetto tree in a pretty cool move.

People in SC are very very proud of their flag and the palmetto tree/half moon as they are on nearly everyone's car here.

[BBM]

All three of those are different palm trees.

'Sup with that.

[BallWonk]

Well, since South Carolina's Palmetto flag was adopted in its current form for the purpose of making war against the United States, which is technically treason, altering South Carolina's flag could be considered a form of defending the U.S. flag.

[Due to Southern thin-skinned-ness with which I am familiar here in Virginia, I should say that I don't mean the last bit as a judgment against South Carolinians for loving their very pretty flag; the Stars and Stripes were also adopted originally as a flag of a treasonous rebellion against the United Kingdom, of which we were a part.]

I'm as much a stickler for flag etiquette as anybody, but the U.S. Flag Code is often misunderstood. For one thing, it does not prohibit wearing flag-like clothing. (Though it does make the sale of flag-like clothing a misdemeanor in the District of Columbia.) You can put red and white stripes on your shirt. You can make your sleeves blue with white stars. You can make your clothes as flag-like as you wish. What you can't do is take the flag itself and wear it. You cannot tie the flag around your neck as a cape or cut it up and stitch it into a waistcoat or a jersey. For another thing, the U.S. Flag Code strictly prohibits any display of the flag itself on athletic uniforms.

Also, painting the flag on the ground or the floor is not specifically prohibited, but two sections of the U.S. Flag Code at least implicitly ban the practice. It should be noted that several hostile governments, like Iran, make a regular practice of painting the U.S. flag onto sidewalks and floors with the express intent of causing people to trod upon it. Why it's any better for George Steinbrenner to do it than for Ayatollah Khamenei to do it, I couldn't say.

The relevant passages of the U.S. Flag Code read:

"The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general."

"No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations."

"The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way."

"The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free."

[JBPerry]

I'm surprised nobody has brought up the biggest use of a state flag by a team. The Texas Rangers! Look under Chris' list for their alternate logos....

2000-Pres State flag of Texas waving on grey

2000-Pres State Flag of Texas waving

2000-Pres State flag of Texas waving on grey

2000-Pres State flag of Texas waving on blue

If you look on all uniforms you see the Texas state flag. I've also seen the Texas state flag in UT colors, Dallas Stars colors, Cowboys colors. It's no big deal, the teams is just trying to represent the state they play in.

[Fyrwulf]

You can't use a flag as an athletic uniform, however that does not prevent one from wearing an American flag patch upon an athletic uniform or painting it on a helmet, which is what sports leagues do. About the only time such a practice would bother me is if the sports leagues tried to mimic how soldiers wear the flag; that would really bother me.

[sc49erfan15]

Actually, yeah, as people said above...that's a pretty common practice in South Carolina. I'd say around half of the vehicles I see have a palmetto and crescent on them in some form or another.

There are countless variations...Clemson ones that replace the crescent with a tiger paw, South Carolina ones that have a gamecock or claw in place if the palmetto, my high school had one that a bearcat head in the middle of the palmetto and a pawprint in place of the crescent. There are ones with baseball seams, Confederate flag patterns, pretty much anything. (And yeah, it seems that there's a different palmetto pattern on each one.) I don't really see it as disrespectful...I tend to think of the crescent and palmetto as sort of a South Carolina statewide logo, rather than an untouchable symbol. If someone recolored or added to the American flag...I'd see it as disrespectful, but not the South Carolina flag.

[walkerws]

You can't use a flag as an athletic uniform, however that does not prevent one from wearing an American flag patch upon an athletic uniform or painting it on a helmet, which is what sports leagues do. About the only time such a practice would bother me is if the sports leagues tried to mimic how soldiers wear the flag; that would really bother me.

Well if they wor eit the way soldiers do, they would be following the flag code. Technically a lot of teams wear it the wrong way when it is on the bak or side of some helmets. With sports, it is intent over proper display. Ala the Padres.

[GoValpo]

yea many schools use different color flags like citadel, usc, and clemson

its cool with me, its on shirts and everything

http://www.cafepress.com/classicdecal/1221893

[Fyrwulf]

Well if they wor eit the way soldiers do, they would be following the flag code. Technically a lot of teams wear it the wrong way when it is on the bak or side of some helmets. With sports, it is intent over proper display. Ala the Padres.

It's not the flag code I'd be complaining about. Soldiers wear the flag like they do (with the "place of honor" to the upper-right instead of upper-left) because it represents charging into battle. It's a holdover from the Civil War, when a charge was conducted the flag bearer would be running so fast that the battle flag would stream behind him. The only professional athletes that would ever have the right to wear the flag like that are those few that have actually served in the armed forces.

[dmr]

It seems this is merely a game of denotation and conoation. No athletes wear the "flag," multiple you uniforms contain representations of flags, but none of them are actual flags.

As for the versions of the discussed South Carolina flag upon uniforms. Techincally those would not be considered representations of flags, but logos. Since the flag is two main symbols, according to the logic already stated any background of any colors displaying those symbols could be considered a "flag patch." Take for instance the Texas State flag, a "long star" any logo in in Texas displaying a single star upon a color could be considered a "flag." Washington State, any logo containing a portrait of George Washington, thus be considered a "flag." California any logo containing a bear. This could go one for a while, well 49 more time (48 states + DC).

Damn that logic thingy

~~dmr~~

[ElwoodCuse]

I like it. I have a BP Pelicans jersey and the flag is half the reason I bought it.

[winghaz]

The U.S. flag has specific codes as to how the flag should be represented.

With the different states, well, it's up to each state.

I'm not so sure I like the South Carolina flag in different school colors. My feeling is that if you're going to be representative of your state, then use the proper coloring of the state flag. Especially if you have a really nice state flag, such as the one in South Carolina.

But, then again, this is up to the people of South Carolina, not me.

[dpnation]

Actually, most of the colleges in South Carolina tweak the state flag with their own colors. Off the top of my head, I've seen Clemson (orange), USC (maroon/black), and Furman (purple) versions of the SC flag as car decals.

Standard state flag:

I mean, it's a pretty easy flag to adopt it to your school's colors:

Actually that second flag is the seccesionist flag here in SC.

Many of the schools around here do the half in half for their school colors.

Clemson:

USC

THey even have one that has USC (Carolina's) game as the palmetto tree in a pretty cool move.

People in SC are very very proud of their flag and the palmetto tree/half moon as they are on nearly everyone's car here.

Thanks for posting those flags.. I couldn't find any on a quick Google search.. those were the ones I had in mind!