Bad Sportsmanship Karma

[Richard Ogg]

One more thought on the call-it or ignore-it subject.... I think a key point is that referees that are suggesting that there are situations where they do not call a game "by the book" are not deciding when to call it and when not to. It is not a matter of just not wanting to call a particular violation that day. If it were, I'd be preaching to follow the letter of the law.

The point is that no sport survives with every infraction called every time it happens, and most people recognize that. Neither is there consistency if every official decides when to call things and when not to. Instead, there develops a concensus of when certain items are ignored. This concensus is by officials, assigners, coaches, and maybe even players. (A good example is the "proximity play" in baseball, where the middle-infielder is not required to have his/her foot on 2nd base in a double play to avoid broken legs. The rule book says the foot must be there; the "unwritten rulebook" says close is close enough.) This "unwritten rulebook" that must be followed unless the game is to be redefined must be learned by officials as they develop. That is why a 7th grade game is called one way on Tuesday and totally different on Thursday, but the HS varsity game is called very much the same on Tuesday as Friday (or the days of your choice). Officials working at that level understand what is expected of them, and it isn't to enforce every rule without regard for extenuating circumstances.

Such is the life of sports and it drives us rule-junkies NUTS!