After September 11, America's display of patriotism at sporting events went from one flag to hundreds. Suddenly, at events where people previously focused on the American flag only during the national anthem, the Stars and Stripes became an omnipresent emblem -- from miniature versions for individual fans to field-engulfing tarpaulins unveiled during stirring halftime ceremonies.

Rare was the person who did not show some patriotic display, including the student-athletes, who took for granted that placing an American flag on their uniforms was the right thing to do. The NCAA agreed, though rules administrators quickly discovered how complicated things can get when you mix regulation and strong national emotion.

The NCAA restricts the size and location of items on uniforms, such as logos, apparel insignias, memorial patches or numbers, and yes, even Old Glory. The reason for the rule is simple: It is important in each sport that nothing obscure anything on the uniform that is necessary for playing the game, nor compromise any safety equipment. The NCAA is hardly unique in this regard; similar restrictions are apparent at all levels of competition.

But controlling the display of the flag struck some people as, well, un-American. After all, what could a flag do to compromise the uniform? While everybody involved understood and appreciated the strong emotion that was involved in the post-September 11 environment, those who are responsible for the administration of playing rules ultimately concluded that appropriate displays could be achieved within the existing rules.

An uncluttered jersey

In basketball, the flag was permitted within the four-inch side insert of the game jersey, anywhere on the game pants, anywhere on warm-up suits or on the shoulder strap of the game jersey.

The NCAA Football Rules Committee determined a couple of years ago that the American flag on the jersey is a legal insignia. As such, it may not exceed 16 square inches in area (that is, rectangle, square, parallelogram), including any additional material (for example, patch). If a school chooses to display the flag other than on the jersey, it is expected to do so "within reason."

And in soccer, the flag must be contained within a four-sided geometrical figure (that is, rectangle, square, parallelogram) that does not exceed 2 1/4 square inches.

Particularly in basketball and soccer, the accumulation of player fouls and penalties lead to disqualification or ejection, which means that identification of the jersey number is paramount to the proper administration of the game. That's why rules committees in those sports are so particular about what is allowed on the jersey.

"The reason we have a uniform rule," said men's basketball's Secretary-Rules Editor Ed Bilik, "is that the people who preceded us in rules-making felt that because there is disqualification involved, recognition of the correct number was important. That's why we've tried to keep the uniform jersey as clean as possible."

For the most part, schools have complied with the rules. Only a few have put the flag other than where the rules call for it to be placed. Bilik said it has been awkward to have to remind those institutions of the rule because it puts the committee in a position of appearing to be insensitive or unpatriotic.

"But to me," he said, "you have two separate issues -- one, demonstrating patriotism and two, complying with the rules. It's been an uncomfortable position to say you've got to put the flag in a proper position to comply with the rule, or to call someone who hasn't done it and ask them to change it."

Consideration of diversity

Of course, when it comes to rules-making and legislation, the NCAA is accustomed to being called insensitive. The Association's enforcement of policies and procedures has been criticized before in situations that seemingly beg for an exception. However, administration gets unmanageable in a hurry if rules are applied differently from case to case.

In September, shortly after the NCAA distributed guidelines for flag placement or other memorial recognition on uniforms, the Association took a hit in the sensitivity department -- this time from newspapers and magazines that inferred that the NCAA was less than patriotic in advising athletics administrators to consider the ramifications of requiring international student-athletes to sport the American flag.

Specifically, the NCAA urged "institutions desiring to place flags on uniforms to consider the nationalities of all of their student-athletes before doing so." The reason for the statement was to make sure that institutions considered the situations of international players who may fear for themselves or their families if they were required to wear an American flag. Circumstances stirred similar emotions, reactions and rulings when the Persian Gulf War raged in 1991.

Bilik said the statement was the NCAA's attempt to remind people that NCAA sports are diversified.

"What may have turned people off is that these players are representing an institution, and that institution has the right to say what will be on the uniform as long as it's legal," Bilik said. "But I have no problem with the NCAA saying we should be considerate -- that's not insensitive. They're just bringing it to our attention."

In almost every year, rules committees have been asked to bend the uniform rules for a "special" case in which a team wants to commemorate or memorialize a teammate or coach in a way that goes beyond what the rules allow. Almost all of the requests have merit, and saying "no" may not be in the NCAA's best public relations interests. But at some point, a line has to be drawn.

"We've been approached by other organizations, such as the Future Farmers of America or Mothers Against Drunk Driving, that want to place a logo on uniforms," said football's Secretary-Rules Editor John Adams. "We've always resisted that, though it's hard to turn them down, but there's a limit as to how far we can go."

Bilik said that as far as commemorative patches go, the rules are more user-friendly than they were in the past. Until a few years ago, the four-inch side insert was the only alternative. Some schools complained that the insert area in basketball wasn't sufficiently visible, and the rules committee conceded by allowing patches on the shoulder strap area.

Similarly in football, not until a few years ago were numerals other than the uniform number allowed on the jersey. But teams that wanted to recognize a seriously ill or deceased teammate thought that not being able to put that player's number on the team jerseys was insensitive. The rule was amended to allow for an insignia (that may include a numeral) not greater than 1 1/2 inches in diameter on the uniform or helmet.

Bilik said that while his committee may consider liberalizing the rule even further, there is only so much space left on the jersey before it becomes cluttered enough to obviously interfere with player identification.

"We have made some concessions along the way, and maybe it needs to be looked at again, but there's not much room left once you put on what is allowed now," he said. "If you allow something more, say in the neckline, how much is that going to interfere with names and numbers?"