Officials are Human Too!

With the unrealistic expectations spectators place on officials to be perfect, one would think officials are androids, programmed to never miss a single call. I can only assume that most fans do not realize that calling interscholastic sports is a hobby for most officials. There is no way you could survive on the pay. I also doubt that most fans understand the numerous sacrifices officials make in order to call games.

The number of officials in all sports is on a steady decline due to the constant berating and offensive behavior being displayed by coaches and fans. In Oklahoma, many middle school and junior varsity contest are officiated by assistant coaches or at times the bus driver. Ironically, I have seldom seen coaches or fans lose their mind on these folks. They realize they are just helping out so the game can be played. Maybe all of us should just roll out there in a pair of overalls with no shirt on, just so the game can be played. Like a raging bull to the cloth, the stripes make coaches and fans see red.

What if your boss held you to the same level of expectation that you have for officials? How would you feel if the entire office yelled obscenities at you every time you made a mistake or missed a deadline?

What qualifications do you have to make you think you know more than the officials? Have you ever officiated a game or studied the rule book? What sacrifice do you make for the game, other than the $5 entry fee that barely helps keep the lights on at a school struggling to exist?

Please remember that other than the man responsible for creating all of us, nobody is perfect! Quit expecting officials to be super human and void of flaws. Focus on coaching or supporting your team. It will prove to be more productive in the end. We will miss some calls and even be out of position occasionally (especially in a 2 person crew), but believe it or not we are trying our best!  

Good luck to all of the teams competing for hardware and the officials working the games this weekend.

Thanks for spending 3 Seconds In The Stripes!