Judging a "judgement" call

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

That happens more than people realize. I have had to pull out my rulebook so they believe me when it comes to the rule. I almost always have a debate with someone during a tournament and we have to prove to someone what the rule actually says. So that is why if someone screws up a rule, unless I am 1000 percent sure I would almost never come in to change it. I might talk to them afterwards, but I would not change something they think they got right.

Peace

This happened to me in a scrimmage this year - the "R" for the scrimmage was someone who has been in the association for a while and I am relatively new to the association so he didn't know who I was at all - so I think he just assumed I was a new official. He was convinced that, during A1's throw-in from the endline, if B2 fouls A2 out near the division line, the ball is put in play using POI, therefore on the same spot on the endline. I argued with him and even pulled out the rulebook showing him you take the ball out of bounds at the spot of the foul. Everyone else at the scrimmage agreed with him (there were at least 3 other guys) because they figured he knew the rule. I was the only one arguing. It wasn't until another guy who was more experienced than both of us showed up, and agreed with me, that he believed it. And he still wasn't 100% convinced. It's just not easy to convince someone they are wrong when they know they are right.