This Week in High School Sports: 9/13/19

September 13, 2019

This week's edition leads off with a feature on Muskegon football's offensive line, hands out Game Balls to the Zeeland girls swimming & diving and Negaunee girls tennis teams, explores a soccer substitution rule change in "Be the Referee" and finishes by paying tribute to a sportswriter who was beloved in his community.

The 5-minute program, powered by MI Student Aid, leads off each week with feature stories from around the state from the MHSAA’s Second Half or network affiliates. "Be The Referee," a 60-second look at the fine art of officiating, comes in the middle of the show and is followed by a closing MHSAA "Perspective."

Listen to this week's show by Clicking Here.

Past editions

Sept. 6: Jenison girls golf's inspiration, new football practice contact restrictions - Listen
Aug. 30:
 St. Johns quarterback-now-coach Andy Schmitt, benefits of a multi-sport experience - Listen

Lack of Officials Sounds Warning Again

September 21, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Officials prefer to stay out of the spotlight, but the avocation is at the center of important discussion again as something seemingly inevitable has taken place in the southeastern Lower Peninsula – recently scheduled football games had to be moved because of a lack of officials.

The Hillsdale Daily News’ James Gensterblum tackled the topic in a recent column – and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves:

“This crisis has been a long time coming, and we have no one but ourselves to blame. Fan behavior has never been perfect at high school sporting events, but in the last decade it’s hit an all-time low, and I could find numerous examples across the country to back up this assertion.

… Over the years, I’ve seen opinion pieces to parents appealing to their humanity and civility in order to get them to treat referees better. I’ve seen shame, I’ve seen bargaining, all sorts of rhetorical tactics, all of which seem to have failed. So let me try something a little different. Let me appeal to your love of sports and your investment in their continued survival.”

Check out Gensterblum’s work in its entirety at the Hillsdale Daily News.