[Sleeper]

I don't know that this is a board for debating the social morays of the 50's or their comparison to today, but I belive that the facts as presented show this official chose his behavior and words poorly and damaged both his reputation and that of the profession.

Life is not perfect, but we have jobs to do. I am new to officiating, but I watched my dad do it for over 20 years and I have been around officials as I played. There have been very few I was exposed to who have presented themselves in less than a professional manner. Of those who were less than professional, I never saw one lose it like the aformentioned official. Regardless of the situation, there are better ways to handle it. It is not the leaving that concerns me, I agree that there could be a situation where that would be warranted, but the balance of the behavior does.

Things happen in life, but our attitude is something we choose. How we present ourselves on the court or field reflects not only on us, but on those that came before and will come after. Officials in all sports struggle every game with perceptions of incompetance. We don't need to supply ammunition to people who are already shooting at us.