In high school football officiating, as with multiple performance-based activities, there’s a problem that doesn’t show up on the Friday night game film—but it shows up in locker rooms, pregame meetings, and postgame phone calls. It’s the tendency for officials to treat each other like rivals rather than teammates.
Maybe it starts with comparing playoff assignments or who got the call to work the big game. Before long, it’s not just friendly competition—it’s subtle undermining. It’s treating your fellow official as someone to outshine rather than someone to support.
As a retired Air Force officer, I’ve seen this before. There’s always the temptation to compare ourselves to our peers—whether it’s over an early promotion, a choice assignment, or an award. I’ve been guilty of that many times!
I’m reminded of a blunt but insightful quote from Lt. Gen. David Miller, head of the United States Space Operations Command (activated in late 2020):
“The dogs like to spend 5 minutes sniffing each other’s butts. That’s the phase I think we’re in. We just need to get off that. Nobody’s here to hurt anybody. Everybody’s a dog; we’re all on the same team; we’re all going to get a chance to play. Put your baggage behind you and get focused on the real problem.”
Translation: Let’s not spend emotional bandwidth worrying about how we stack up against each other. We’re all here for the same reason, and the better we work together, the better we serve the game.
There’s a time and place for evaluations and for self-improvement—but it should never come at the cost of unity. A great official knows the rules. A greater official knows how to support the crew and raise the performance of everyone on it.
One of the quiet threats to unit morale is envy. It creeps in when someone else gets recognized, promoted, or selected. But as high school football officials, we can’t afford to see each other as competitors. This isn’t a tryout. We’re already on the same team.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer.
3/6 from the A-20. The clock is running. Snapper A55 leaves the huddle and approaches the ball. He lifts the ball off the ground to reposition the laces.
- Foul for a snap infraction
- No foul
Review Rules 7-1-2 and 7-1-3d