A sports event will not be complete if one can’t hear sports fanatics cursing a referee for a bad call. Referees-who are also known as umpires, judges, arbiters, arbitrators, linesmen, timekeeper, or touch judge-are almost always present in organized sports activities. Despite that, many are still arguing if their presence is really necessary.
A sports official usually having final authority in administering a game is the definition provided the Merriam Dictionary to the term “referees”. In practice, he is the individual who enforces the rules in an organized sports activity with total honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and common sense. He also acts to mediate arguments between players. Aside from the abovementioned, the job description of this person also includes checking the condition of the game field.
As was stated earlier, the role that referees play is vital to the success of most organized sports activities. Examples of sports events that employ his services are basketball, cricket, fencing, mixed martial arts, and tennis. A boxing match also needs such service to enforce the rules during the fight, provide instruction to the players, start and stop the count when a player is down, and decide whether to stop the game based from the condition of the players. Referees are also vital to a successful game of football as he/she has the final authority on all rulings.
As was mentioned and exemplified above, many sports activities cannot exist without the presence of referees. This is mainly because only a well-trained referee can identify and manage the multitude of occurrences such as infractions, fouls, and offenses that encumber the world of athletics. The referee is also the person to whom authority on the decision whether to continue or stop a game or match depending on the totality of circumstances is given. Aside from these, oftentimes he is also the person who explains penalties and review plays to the viewing public.
However, despite the aforementioned functions that referees play in organized sports activities, many still ask if they really are necessary. With the advancements in technology, many more individuals are wondering if “human” referees can be replaced with computer systems. In tennis, for example, computer systems were adapted to eliminate the biases and mistakes of “human” referees, and so far, have been working successfully as referees discerning real time infractions during a match. Nonetheless, many sports enthusiasts believe that computer systems are yet to be advanced to be able to discern real time occurrences such as holding and tripping rules common in many team and contact sports.
With the huge responsibility of referees in organized sports events, aspiring ones are required to learn as much as possible about the sports event they want to facilitate. Also, to become a professional in the field, it is necessary to take classes in communication, management, leadership, and motivation, where one may develop the characteristics of a successful referee.
Despite the opposing arguments regarding their necessity, one can’t deny the importance of referees in many sports activities. This can be proven by the numerous successful sporting events in various countries worldwide.
Russell Collins is a “schiedsrichter” (German term for “referee”) for a local basketball team in small town in Germany. He also teaches physical education at a grade school in the same region.
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