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It is with deepest regret that I read the letter (Nov. 9 "Gophers cheated...") expressing outrage at the quality of officiating during the Minnesota-Illinois football game. Through the aid of slow-motion replays and multiple camera angles, the writer has become convinced that the Gophers were clearly robbed by a single call made by a referee near the end of the game. The writer would do well to remember that the official was forced to make a split-second decision while getting a single view of the play from only one angle while simultaneously observing the rest of the play. Add to this the pressure of 40,000 fans looking on and perhaps this official's mistake is not as obvious as before. In addition, are we to believe that the Gophers themselves have never been the recipient of controversial call that has gone in their direction? It is hard to believe that every bad decision made by a referee in a Gopher game over the past several years has gone against the Maroon and Gold. Give Coach Wacker credit for refusing to rest the blame for the outcome of the game on the officials. While a mistake at a crucial point in the game may have been made, no single decision in a 60 minute game can singlehandedly determine the outcome of a game. Unfortunately, the sort of boorish behavior displayed by the writer and other fans at sporting events has a detrimental effect on quality of future officiating. Hurling insults only exacerbates the problem of poor officiating by driving off existing referees and increasing the difficulty of recruiting new ones. Soccer is an excellent example of a sport where demand for referees has outstripped the supply of experienced officials. Despite training in hundreds of new referees each year, the soccer referee program in Minnesota has experienced only slow growth due to the fact that over 50% of new officials quit within 2 years of first becoming a referee. The main reason for quitting cited by these referees is they didn't like the amount of abuse by parents, fans, players, and coaches to which they were subject. Due to this abuse, a lot of potential referee talent is wasted. Furthermore, too often verbal abuse turns into something far more serious. In Minnesota alone there have been dozens of cases of assault or vandalism involving soccer referees and disgruntled fans. This sort of occurrence is unavoidable in a society where a sense that it is permissible to abuse referees has developed. I would urge all of those of you who are so quick to judge referees to do three things. First, take off your tinted glasses and realize that any statement like, "The officials called everything against us," is blatantly biased. Calls go both for and against you, but no single call can ever decide the outcome of any game by itself. Second, analyze your own behavior and decide if it has a detrimental effect on the game. Insults and slurs directed at officials only serve to reduce the pool of available referees and teach players that it is acceptable to always find a scapegoat for their own failures. Finally, if you really believe that the existing referees are terrible, become a referee yourself and show these guys how to do it right. That's what I did, and I have learned that it is an awful lot harder to officiate on the field than it was to officiate from the stands. Give it a try, we can use all the officials we can get.
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