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Take a Number
What's in a number? You'd be surprised how some NFL officials wound up with their uniform numbers, and the history behind those identifying digits.
On...
Coach ‘Em Up
By Tom Schreck
Experienced officials are often asked to mentor men and women who are just beginning a career in officiating. It can be a...
Aweigh Games
Michael Kennedy suddenly found himself in a predicament that was not of his own making.
A 15-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, Kennedy, who holds...
Doors Opening Wider
Clockwise from top left: Amanda Bender, Maia Chaka, Kelly Dine, Sara Woods, Kaili Kimura
By Tim Yonke
In what could be a blueprint for women seeking...
Harassment Halt
A
ll sports officials are potential targets for criticism. When we don a striped shirt and pick up a whistle, we understand criticism comes with...
FONZY
By Dan Ronan
major League Baseball umpire Alfonso Márquez was driving April 21, 2005, to an early season game in Tampa, Fla., when he got...
Milan vs. Muncie
Milan High School’s Bobby Plump faked left, dribbled to his right, then pulled up and took a jump shot from the free-throw line with...
Help Rains Supreme
By Brad Tittrington
It has been said that difficult times often bring out the best in people. What transpired in late July and early August...
The Largest Officiating Survey Ever
17,487. That is the number of officials whose investment in this avocation motivated them to respond to the recent National Association of Sports Officials...
An Inside Look at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four
As a winter bomb cyclone slammed Denver on March 13, Matt Palumb was home in Syracuse, N.Y., with two things on his mind: the...
Assaulted: Now What?
It was a good game, a close game, and both teams competed hard. The home team wins by one and as you’re leaving the...
The Shot
As an exhausted Tom Clark settled back into the aisle seat of his Delta Airlines flight the morning of March 29, 1992, a slight...
SQUAWK BOX
By Dan Ronan
A late May MLB game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals pointed out the challenges ESPN, Fox and...
Return To Play
Think back to the beginning of your officiating career, those Saturday mornings working Pop Warner football or Tuesday evenings overseeing CYO basketball.
Chances are, your...
Officials Who Coach
We start with my story.
I was officiating with a rookie partner (who had great potential) on a middle school championship basketball game. Perfect pairing...
FROM THE CHAIR Leadership Is a Privilege
"Leader-ship is a privilege” are words I heard from U.S. Army four-star General Robert W. Cone. Bob Cone is my friend.
I met him after...
Referee U
The University of Central Florida Officiating Class is making a positive impact on the industry.
Jose Acevedo has everything an assigner (or even a coach)...
#RefereeRecruit
If you had to sell officiating in 140 characters or less, what would you say?
“If you want to do something unique that sets you apart,...
Q&A with Dr. Karissa Niehoff
Dr. Karissa Niehoff needed no prompting to address the elephant in the room.
“We’re definitely supportive of the great work that our officials are doing,...
