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General items of interest to all officials that don’t fit in the categories above.
Rule Changes That Changed Everything
Officiating standards and practices have changed considerably over the course of time. So have the rules all of us are expected to know and enforce. The evolution of the rules...
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...
Ernie Yarbrough to Receive Mel Narol Medallion
The award will be presented in Atlanta on Tue, July 30, during the Celebrate Officiating Gala, sponsored by Fox 40 International.
Officials Help Keep a Park District League in Operation
A few years back, the park district in our community started an indoor soccer league and offered players in the area the opportunity to...
Camp Preparation Do’s and Don’ts
You can stand out at an officiating camp best by doing exactly what your prospective boss expects in everything that matters. What matters? Here...
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...
Recruiting & Retention: What Worked…What Didn’t
By Scott T. Glass
Nearly every officials association in the country is experiencing serious membership shortages. Recruiting new officials is a complex, deliberate organizational task...
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...
Are Big Calls Even A Thing Anymore?
The proposition is simple enough: safe or out? foul or not? catch or no catch? A good official has had hundreds of big calls in his...
2024 Gold Whistle Award: Ted Barrett
Ted Barrett has been selected as the 2024 recipient of officiating's highest honor.
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...
2023 Gold Whistle Award: Violet Palmer
Violet Palmer, coordinator of women’s basketball officials for the Pac-12, West Coast, Western Athletic, Big Sky and Big West conferences, received the 2023 Gold...
Big Data’s Increasing Role in Sports Officiating
Rusty Acree got a call from Bill Carollo this past year, asking him to provide three years of Power Five (P5) replay data from...
Bob Delaney: Hiding In Plain Sight
Retired NBA referee and former undercover New Jersey state trooper Bob Delaney talks with Nick Nanton about his incredible careers.
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...
Prevent Mistakes on Obscure Rules
Over the past three decades, video review and replay have become staples in game administration. Officials’ judgment is often subject to review, and there...
Transition Game
Basketball has taken Ka-Deidre “Didi” Simmons around the globe. After a stellar collegiate career at Seton Hall University that saw her graduate as the...
Keeping Players Safe is JOB ONE
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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...
Time to Get It Right
Officials are taught to maintain focus and concentration from the moment they walk on the field or court to the final whistle and sometimes...
Get Great Series: Better by Next Year
If someone told you a they had a way to get better by next year, would you do it no matter what it was? ...
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...
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...
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...
Comments Don’t Reflect Reality
The times have changed in sports and officials know it all too well. In the past the things people said to us while we...
