[26 Year Gap]

In a perfect world, there would be a pro-portionate number of officials to match the area. So, ideally, roughly half the officials should be female. And the racial demographics of the general population should be matched by those who choose to officiate sporting events. If things are out of pro-portion, then maybe a concerted recruiting effort should take place to put things more in balance. After all, if the pool of officials matches the general populace, then making things balanced should be a piece of cake.

I have just moved to an area with a county population of over 900,000. About 3/4 of the 80 member officials attended the meeting I went to last week. The demographics from the Census Bureau did not reflect the mix in the meeting. And it doesn't really matter to me. I will have opportunities to work with a lot of new folks--black and white--here. I am looking forward to it. I think I can learn from all of them. I don't care if my partner is black or white, male or female. And I don't care what race the coaches or players are, either. I just want to improve.

I just came from one of the whitest states in the country. A local high school there won the state championship and there was an equal number of black & white players on the team. During AAU season leagues I heard questions about why there might be so many black girls on the team. From other officials. I never really thought about it because they are all teammates and get along great on and off the court. Were the questioners biased? I don't believe so. I think they were just surprised because of the state's demographics that it could occur anyplace other than Burlington which is the largest city. Most of the officials are impressed with how well the team works together and the JV team is the same way and they have won 40 straight. And it is because they play good basketball.