Choreographed refereeing.
By motle • Mar 27th, 2008 • Category: Lead Story •
What drives me absolutely bonkers, though, are the referees. But hear me out—I’m not going to get on them because of bad calls or too many fouls.
My problem is how visible they have become in the last few years. In years past, the only reason anyone was supposed to know the ref existed was because of the silly striped shirts or uniforms they would wear. A foul was called by blowing their whistle once, looking for the number of the offender, turning to the scorers table, and relaying the foul with a basic sequence of extremity motions. The job of the ref was not to infuriate or excite the crowd—just keep order in the playing field or court and make sure the kids play nice. During the NCAA basketball tournament this year, a foul can’t be called without a choreographed dance routine and 20-30 whistle blows. They almost seem to be in competition with one another.
