First of all, in the words of that immortal American icon -- "Let me be perfectly clear. I am not a crook". (Cue applause). However, to be totally honest -- when I was about 12 or 13 -- I must admit I got caught trying to swipe a Hershey bar from the local grocery store. When my dad got wind of it, my butt got blistered so bad I was afraid to even BUY a Hershey bar out of my paper route money for a few months. Forget that crook stuff -- it hurts too much. But I digress. Where was I? Oh, yeah.
I also want to be clear I had no dog in the hunt regarding the Seattle -- San Fran NFC championship game. As you know, the Seahawks won and are headed to the Super Bowl.
But during that game, there were a few strange calls -- and non-calls -- by the officials. And it seemed they all went Seattle's way. Sure, they were the home team and all, but the refs are supposed to be impartial. Which brings me to the point.....
Methinks it's long overdue the sporting public knew more about the zebras in sports. Not just the NFL, but the NBA, NHL, and the umps in MLB. For the sake of this argument -- let's use the NFL as an example.
As a typical game starts -- TV viewers are introduced to the starting line-ups -- on both sides of the ball -- of both teams. We see their mug shots, know their names, and even what colleges they played for.
But other than the league numbers on their backs, we never know anything about the on-field officials. It's a big secret. Thing is, these guys have to come from somewhere. Sure, different crews get rotated to different venues throughout the year, but it's entirely possible, even probable, there are times when a zebra or two is working a game not far from where he grew up.
We've all heard about many fans that had home-town loyalties to their teams but got transplanted elsewhere because of their jobs, etc, but still rooted for the teams they grew up with. It's just human nature. Is it that much of a stretch to assume some officials have the same lingering sentiments? Most of them are human too -- I think.
So why not out the officials? Put their mugs and hometowns on TV at various games as well. Just for kicks, yours truly picked a random number of an NFL zebra (106) and did a Google search. Turns out, that number belongs to a guy named Wayne Mackie, a third-year head linesman in the NFL. Mackie is from NY. Went to Colgate and Brooklyn Tech. Might he have been a Jets or Giants fan when he was growing up? Hey, if he grew up to be an NFL official, surely he was a sports fan as a kid -- right? He had to root for somebody. As a head lineman, on a close call between a false start or the defense jumping offside between his "old" team and another one -- which way to do think he'll likely point?
Again, it's just human nature, and such conflicts of interest are going to happen here and there. But that's still no reason not to identify these guys before the game starts. What's more, officials aren't allowed to give any post-game interviews to answer questions about controversial calls. Why should they be exempt from scrutiny? After all, they're the ones that made the calls in the first place. Coaches and players are held accountable. Why not the zebras?
Even worse is the "guys in the booth". You know, the replay officials behind the dark glass in a luxury suite that ultimately decide close plays that are "reviewed". These guys are more mysterious than your average CIA agent. In fact, we don't know if they're guys at all. Maybe it's gals sitting up there. For that matter, it might be the American Idol judges or the cast of The View making these crucial decisions.
Out with them. Let's see who they are. Names, faces, and hometowns all put up on the Jumbotrons. And for crying out loud -- get rid of that tinted glass. It's not like there's any snipers lurking about in the stadium, and it gives the impression they have something to hide.
Everybody keeps saying they want more transparency here, and more transparency there. Well, this is a good place to start.
If these guys, and maybe gals, are making fair and impartial calls -- they have nothing to worry about.
But until the veil of secrecy is lifted -- this whole thing doesn't quite pass the smell test sometimes....
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