![](/sites/default/files/imported/DirectorSig2H.jpg)
Official Treatment
March 7, 2014
A book I quoted in this space three times last November – How: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything by Dov Seidman – has me thinking about sports officiating.
One premise of the book is that the Internet era has made the world so transparent and connected that there is no such thing anymore as “private” behavior or a “minor” mistake. Everything can become a public matter – instantly. Anything can become a major problem – overnight. Worldwide.
So, when our local real estate agent, who officiates junior varsity basketball, misses a call that an invested spectator captures with his or her smart phone camera, and sends to his or her relatives and a local media outlet that night, there is no limit to where that video could appear by the next morning.
And while major college and professional officials may now receive four-figure fees to work under those conditions, officials at the junior high/middle school and high school levels – sometimes working for little more than gas money - wonder if it’s worth the hassle.
There are many obstacles to recruiting and retaining officials for school sports, including poor business practices by assigners and bad sportsmanship by coaches and spectators; but a significant factor not to be overlooked is the adverse potential of immediate worldwide criticism for a call that had to be made in the blink of an eye.
The human factor of sports is now subject to inhuman expectations. In an enterprise that strives for fairness, it appears that it’s the official who is being treated least fairly.
![](/sites/default/files/imported/Photos/200517_MM_2H.jpg)
Moment: Officiating Message Unchanged
May 15, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A segment on recruiting officials was broadcast as part of coverage of the MHSAA's 1988 Boys Basketball Finals.
Had that segment run this season, the messages would have been just as relevant.
Officials Ernie Cryer and Tom Hoffman spoke for the report, providing an inside look at officiating and reasons to consider the avocation.