Almost everyone has a story about someone who abused the authority that came with a position. Perhaps it was a security guard on a power trip, a government employee determined to make a simple task difficult, or a supervisor who used authority to intimidate rather than lead. The problem wasn’t the authority itself. The problem was how it was exercised. Authority exists to accomplish a purpose, not to elevate the person who possesses it.
Football officials are no different. The striped shirt, whistle, and penalty flag give us positional authority. That authority is necessary. Without it, we could not administer the game. But if we’re not careful, we can begin to mistake the authority of the position for personal importance. When that happens, we stop facilitating the game and start making ourselves the center of it.
Officials are sometimes described as being “in charge” of the game. That is true, but only in a limited sense. We are responsible for administering the contest fairly and safely. We are not the stars of the show. We are not there to teach coaches who’s in charge. We are not there to win arguments. We are not there to remind everyone that we have the final say. We are there to facilitate a football game.
That word, facilitate, deserves more attention.
A facilitator removes obstacles so the real work can take place. Good officials create an environment where two teams can compete on equal terms within the rules. They recognize when they need to step in and when they need to stay out of the way.
Some officials confuse authority with control.
They insert themselves into situations that require nothing more than common sense. They penalize harmless comments simply because they can. They escalate conversations that could have been handled with a smile or a quiet word. Every interaction becomes an opportunity to establish dominance instead of building credibility.
Ironically, this usually has the opposite effect.
Coaches quickly recognize the difference between an official who is confident and one who feels the need to constantly prove he is in charge. Players do too. Respect is rarely demanded successfully. It is earned through competence, consistency, fairness, and professionalism.
The best officials seldom need to remind anyone of their authority because their conduct already demonstrates it.
This doesn’t mean we become passive.
When a coach crosses the line into unsportsmanlike behavior, we act. When a player commits a foul, we act. When game administration requires firmness, we are expected to be firm. Sometimes decisive action is exactly what the game needs.
But notice the difference.
We enforce the rules because the game requires it, not because our ego requires it.
This question can become a valuable filter during every contest:
“Am I acting a certain way because it benefits the game, or because it benefits me?”
If the answer is “because I can,” it is probably worth reconsidering.
Experienced officials often say that game management is an art. Part of that art is understanding that every unnecessary confrontation costs something. It raises the emotional temperature. It distracts from the contest. It can create problems that never need to exist. Our objective should be exactly the opposite.
When the game ends, no one should remember us for constantly asserting our authority. They should remember that the game flowed smoothly, the rules were enforced fairly, player safety was protected, and both teams had an equal opportunity to decide the outcome.
That’s what positional authority was given to us to accomplish.
The uniform grants us the authority to step onto the field.
What we do with that authority determines whether we make the game better or merely make ourselves more important.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer. (Choose all that apply.)
4/10 from the K-40. R44 forcefully contacts kicker K13’s plant leg, and the referee throws a flag for roughing the kicker. R21 fields the ball at the R-25. During the return, R66 is flagged for an illegal block in the back at the R-35. R21 is downed at the R-48.
- PSK enforcement from the R-25
- 1/10 for Team K from the R-45
- The game clock starts on the snap
- The game clock starts on the ready for play
- 25-second play clock
- 40-second play clock
Review Rules 2-16-2h, 3-4-3c, 3-6-1a(1)e EXCEPTION 2, 9-4-5, 10-1-7