Hot Topics

Home Hot Topics

General items of interest to all officials that don’t fit in the categories above.

Spark the Fire to Create Lifelong Officials

We need more officials, plain and simple. The not-so-simple part is figuring out how to spark the fire in new recruits that will keep...

More Players, Fewer Officials Point to Trouble Ahead

The NFHS reports a 16 percent increase nationally in the number of boys playing high school soccer in 2018 compared to 2009. While this may thrill soccer enthusiasts, it’s...

Drone Protocol

I n more than 40 years as a referee at the high school, college and professional levels, Bruce Maurer has seen his share of the...

Can We Improve the Culture of Sports?

“I did not like being a referee one bit, and I’m very happy to be done with it. It was very stressful, and I...

Alaska’s Officials Brave Harsh Weather To Get the Job Done

They practice their craft closer to Siberia than to Seattle. Their dedication helps stoke the fire and keep alive beneficial activities that might otherwise...

Why would anyone want to be a referee?

Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Xa3ZoBj1Tk573mKDtdyL_g',sig:'tEy6Fk6qnS6hbHP_X7vVdHNmyXO3zVqKP31jmb5OdyE=',w:'640px',h:'396px',items:'1098050240',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Why in the world would anyone want to be a referee? That’s the question prominent ESPN Senior...

Keeping Players Safe is JOB ONE

W hen it comes to player safety, photos (and film clips) speak a thousand words. A video montage created for a session at the 2016 NASO...

Subject to Interpretation

Anyone who has ever attended a local association meeting knows rules debates can be intense. “Discussions” over minutiae in the rulebook or casebook are often...

Pastoral Care in the Officiating Community

A s COVID-19’s reach expanded globally during the spring of 2020, people and the organizations of which they were members scrambled to adjust to everything...

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 head on....

The Game of Life

The coronavirus crisis has disrupted our individual and collective life rhythms. Rhythm generally means, a movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and...

College Baseball Replay: By the Numbers

The 2019 college baseball postseason saw not only a significant expansion in what types of plays can be reviewed, but also an expansion of where replay was...

How to Recruit U30s

Even before the pandemic, state high school athletic associations faced a significant shortage of officials across the country, which was affecting games. Heavy recruiting...

Embracing Technology in Sports

No matter what sport you officiate, or even at what level, technology has become an integral part of sports. You have heard the popular expression, “Get...

NFHS Executive Director Weighs in on Support of Officials

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,...

sports officiating summit at home program

Summit @ Home Program Resonates

The Summit @ Home, which ran from Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 was a resounding success. Nearly 10,000 officials from around the U.S. and...

Know More About Teams To Make Situations Easier

Many of us have checklists that we ponder in the days or hours leading up to a given contest to make sure we’re ready to officiate. We make sure...

Inventive Incentive

L ate last winter the math became clear for Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) State Commissioner of Officials Brian Gessner. “We’re not doing a very good job...

Suspensions and Terminations Impact All Officials

Officials have never been under greater scrutiny. In the wake of high-profile officiating suspensions and terminations, Referee publisher Barry Mano examines the deep impact...

Test Pattern

If you’re a typical Referee reader, you’re college educated and have spent 15 or 20 years in school. That means you’ve probably taken thousands...

Defining the “It” Factor

Rules knowledge, mechanics and making the right calls are important. Missing any of those elements can break your career, but having them won’t make...

The Buzz on Officiating Drones

Drones are making themselves useful in a wide variety of industries and occupations — on construction sites, in roofing, with reforestation and even in...

Military Intelligence

Bob Delaney, vice president of referee operations and director of officials for the NBA, sees something special in officials with military backgrounds. Teamwork and trust...