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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,...
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...
Three-Dimensional
By Rick Woelfel
To say Mara Wager is a busy woman is an understatement. If it’s a fall weekend, she’s likely working a women’s college...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Gold Whistle Award: Ted Barrett
By Marcel Kerr
Every big-league umpire has to take his figurative lumps working in the minors before getting his first game in the majors. Ted...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Care-Frontation
By Dan Ronan
bob Delaney, a retired NBA referee and the Southeastern Conference special advisor for officiating development and performance, is one of the officiating...
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...
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)...
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,...
Sirmons on the Mount
By Michael Clark
Published in Referee Magazine, April 2025
A
sk any aspiring NCAA basketball official what the greatest assignment could be and 100% of them will...
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...