Thanks to Ravishing Rick Dude for sending us this news. Hollywood Sports Plaza has now made mandatory the use of Solid Ear Protection and Dead Rags when playing at their site. We don't know if the ear protection requirement was brought about by the demand of the insurance industry for more face and ear protection as reported by Airsoft Medicine. The dead rags, well it's much more understandable as I would rather use those than strain my arms when raising them high when hit.

Taken from the Giant Sports Blog:

In order to keep airsoft play as safe as possible at the Hollywood Sports Combat Center, managers of the park will now be enforcing two new rules:

1. All players are now REQUIRED to carry a "Dead Rag" with them on the playing field.  A "Dead Rag" is a minimum 12"x12" piece of red cloth that is waved in the air after elimination during a match.  Using Dead Rags make it easier for living players to identify dead players that are walking off the field.  They also allow eliminated players to make it out of tough gun battles by waving the Dead Rag high in the air while trying to escape to a safe zone.

We sell Dead Rags at the HSP Pro Shop for just $2.50.

2. Hard Ear Protections is now mandatory at HSP Combat Center.  Beanies, shemaghs, and handkerchiefs are NOT considered hard ear protection.  Paintball mask ears are what we recommend, but feel free to be creative.  The only requirement is that the ear protection is solid!

I wonder if headsets are considered part of ear protection, but would sure help in making you look cool: