# Are athletes' heights typically measured with or without shoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2006, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149 "2006-09-10T12:11:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aerotive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aerotive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerotive)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2006, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/1 "2006-09-10T12:11:25Z")
More specifically I’d like to know whether professional tennis players and pro basketball players usually have their height measured with or without shoes. I guess also, do they just tell leagues, teams and tournaments how tall they are, or are they actually measured? Both questions in regards to leagues and tournaments in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![createAnAccount](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@createAnAccount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/createAnAccount)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/2 "2006-09-10T16:49:11Z")
I can’t speak for professionals, but I don’t think they are measured that accurately in college. The players on my old college’s basketball team were listed as much shorter than they actually were. Guys listed as 6’7 I barely came up to their shoulders (I am 6’2). Even the 6’2 player was taller than me, and I am really confident that my height measurement without shoes is accurate. I really can’t speak for the professionals though. I would be surprised if it’s really monitored that closely in professinoal leagues. ---
**Author:** ![leafrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@leafrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leafrog)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/3 "2006-09-10T17:00:47Z")
I misread the title as “Are athiests’ heights typically measured with or without shoes?” and was doing a couple of these; :dubious: :smack: :dubious: 😕😕 Carry on! ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/4 "2006-09-11T15:53:36Z")
[QUOTE=createAnAccount] I can’t speak for professionals, but I don’t think they are measured that accurately in college. The players on my old college’s basketball team were listed as much shorter than they actually were. Guys listed as 6’7 I barely came up to their shoulders (I am 6’2). Even the 6’2 player was taller than me, and I am really confident that my height measurement without shoes is accurate. [/quote] My dad was in a lunchtime group called the Monday Morning Quarterback Club. Big donors to Purdue’s athletics department got to hear the coach speak every week. One week, the coach talked about measurements. The lads are measured the first week as freshmen, and that’s the official height and weight for the whole time they play. Some get 3 or 4 inches taller, and nearly all of them gain weight, but the press book numbers never change. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/5 "2006-09-11T16:44:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Are athletes’ heights typically measured with or without shoes? Typically with a ruler. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/6 "2006-09-11T17:10:50Z")
I sometimes wonder if they’re measured at all, or if the statistician just takes the players’ word for it. How else do you explain so many athletes who are 6’4" in the rosters and programs, when there’s no way they could be anywhere close to that height? (Or, for that matter, the offensive linemen who are listed at 310 pounds, when they HAVE to be close to 400!) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/7 "2006-09-11T17:17:11Z")
NFL athletes are weighed and measured VERY accurately at the Scouting Combine (which of course only applies to players who are likely to be drafted). The whole business is a bit like a cattle market. Also, some NFL contracts (typically for linemen) require the player to maintain a certain weight, and a sliding scale can be used for players who are still growing when they reach the pros. Randy Moss grew an extra inch and a half during his rookie season with the Vikings. Anyway, you can be pretty certain that when you see that Chris Simms is listed at 6’5" and 218 pounds, he’s almost certainly actually 6’5". Basketball players, probably not so much. Apart from anything else, they can turn pro a lot younger and so are a lot more likely to keep growing afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/8 "2006-09-11T17:19:39Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Typically with a ruler. [/QUOTE] But with shoes you can still get a rough estimate of how many feet an athlete is. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/9 "2006-09-11T17:25:27Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] But with shoes you can still get a rough estimate of how many feet an athlete is. [/QUOTE] Yes, indeed, and you can get an accurate measurement of how many feet an athlete **has.** 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-athletes-heights-typically-measured-with-or-without-shoes/372149/10 "2006-09-13T17:47:55Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Anyway, you can be pretty certain that when you see that Chris Simms is listed at 6’5" and 218 pounds, he’s almost certainly actually 6’5". [/QUOTE] Except that he’s actually only 6’4". D’oh!