Officials

[say_oww]

The NFL's replacement-referee saga sure is making a lot of folks see this issue in a whole new light, ins't it??? No matter the game, it is much faster the higher you progress. Whether its high school, college, or NFL, those who can't handle the pace/speed shouldn't be doing the officiating/umpiring.

[Manfred]

For once, I am in agreement with your statement, even though your implied dig was at officials at the HS level. Why didn't you just say it. IMHO, local officials are a reflection of law enforcement. Many of them do a great job, one I certainly would not want. At the same time, all you have to do is look, and see a good number of these people in either category can't pass a physical exam that should be a requirement to do their job effectively, whether it's an age, vision, weight, or some unknown health issue slowing them down. In the case of officials, the real issue is the money. They get a nice check for every game they do. Just like a well-paying part-time job. In the case of law officials, it's a sense of doing the right thing for the community, but there is a money issue there too, or a pension. The physically-unfit ones have been reduced from what they used to be, but they are still out there, mostly local or boro. My 2 c. Rebuttals are welcome. And I'm sure they'll come, as this is an open forum.

[Eaglealum]

I have a friend that refs some high school but does alot of DivII and III games, and was offered a job as a replacement ref ...he had the good sense to turn it down. While he saw the abuse coming, that isn't what stopped him, it was the fact that the small college conferences wouldn't guaruntee their spot on their crew or any crew upon their return.So basically,...not only are these guys small college refs, but most are the lower third that didn't have a crew to go back to....basically highschool refs. In case ya didn't notice, there have been 2million pass interference calls and not a single "illegal contact" call in any of the games I have watched...BECAUSE THEY DONT KNOW THE RULEs! I'm done watching pro football til this is over, it's a joke.

[say_oww]

Actually, I've said all I needed to say on this topic. The NFL situation is just is a clear demonstration of my previous points. Its interesting how many people will now look at my previous statements with a different perspective. Does anyone really want "replacement" officials working at any level?