Profile: NFL Referee Clete Blakeman
NFL referee Clete Blakeman lights up the room and the field. That’s what his crewmates say about him. Tripp Sutter, a Big Ten...
A Strong Case for Keeping a Steady Pace
An important part of officiating a solid football game is maintaining a good pace of play: neither too slow nor too fast in getting the ball spotted...
The Basketball Plays You Have To Get Right – Right Now
All sports have certain plays that define them at any point time. Games evolve and basketball is no exception. New techniques, faster and...
Pick Your Own Pregame Adventure
We all remember with fondness those books we read as kids that let make choices as to how the story would develop. It...
Strike First With Slow-Pitch Pitchers
One topic that garners a lot of discussion among baseball umpires is whether or not you should describe pitches for pitchers. That discussion also depends a great...
Referee Magazine – October 2018 Preview
Referee Magazine - October 2018 Highlights
Features
Transition Game. Player-to-Ref camps aim to move former athletes into officiating.
Hot Wired. NFL officials’ belts are...
Unsolicited Advice
From the very first camp that any official attends, what phrase is always uttered by clinicians and coordinators? “Get the call right!”
In 2018,...
2018-19 National Football League (NFL) Officiating Roster
The following are the NFL officiating crews for the 2018-19 season. They are listed by uniform number, name, hometown and years in the...
Snap, Lapse, Perhaps?
It’s impossible to call a perfect game. Even at the higher levels, where every official is graded in every game, a perfect score...
Team B Fouls on a Touchdown
Depending on the rules code, a scoring team may or may not have an enforcement option if the opponent commits a foul during...
You Think Writing Rules Is Easy?
When I think about the process of writing rules, I remember a "The Far Side" cartoon in which some solemn-looking American colonists were gathered around...
Be A Penalty Enforcer
Being an effective penalty enforcer is vitally important, but something officials tend to neglect. Contrary to what some officials seem to think, it is not only a...
When a State Draws the Line on Sportsmanship
It’s no secret that sportsmanship issues are an ongoing issue in high school athletics. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) decided to address the issue...
What Supervisors Teach can be What Gets Called
In the local football chapter where I started officiating years ago, it has been the practice to have separate weekly training sessions for first-year officials. The feeling...
Creating Your Officiating Legacy
The average American can expect to live about 79 years. That’s roughly 28,835 days to leave your mark on the people you know and the places you...
Referee Magazine – September 2018 Preview
Referee Magazine - September 2018 Highlights
Features
Just Say No! When it comes to conflicts of interest, perception matters as much as reality.
53...
Trip Advisor
The emphasis on pace of play in both pro and NCAA has resulted in significant changes to the traditional rules on conferences to...
Not Dead Yet
When a ball becomes dead, such as one thrown into the stands, it is usually obvious. There are instances though where an act...
Literally Lateral
When San Antonio Trinity University used 15 backward passes to score the winning touchdown on the last play of an October 2008 game...
Keep Wandering Coaches Contained
Wandering coaches who drift beyond the coaching box often need reminding of the location of the box. Simple body language or hand gestures help to guide coaches...
Referee Magazine – August 2018 Preview
Referee Magazine - August 2018 Highlights
Features
Over-Seasoned? Benefits and landmines await those working multiple sports.
Caution: Stop Sign Ahead. The non-verbal communication tool...
No Place For Intentional Pitches at Batters
On Aug. 16, 1920, in a game against the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds, Cleveland shortstop Roy Chapman was hit in the head by...
Our Founding Story – How Referee Magazine Came To Be
It’s often been said that if one has a problem, one has three choices: whine about it, ignore it or do something about it.
Lucky for the world of sports officiating, Barry...
Safe or Out, There Is No Tie
Fans, players and coaches are often heard yelling from the stands, “Tie goes to the runner!” However, no rule in baseball or softball has that phrase. A...