LETTER: Soccer officials not prejudiced
Editor,
It happens every season, so why should soccer season be any different? Recently, I came across the letter to the editor regarding the “prejudices” of intramural officials against teams composed of international students. As one of the senior officials in the intramural department, I found her letter not only unfounded but frankly offensive. For anyone to believe that as a group, the intramural officials, and especially those for soccer, comprised of students from many parts of the globe including Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, have any prejudice regarding race or ethnicity is personally offensive and clearly absurd.
That said, it is merely one of the reasons why views such as the writer of the letter have no grounding. As officials, every call we make has a team who agrees with our decision and one who does not. By its very nature, officiating is a judgment. The line between a block and a charge in basketball, or that of onside vs. offside in soccer is fine; it boils down to what an individual sees. Now, I am not claiming that any official at any level never misses a call, but when everything is said and done, it is his or her decision that prevails.
Secondly, in the case of the intramural department, none of us is getting rich being out there. We do it because we enjoy it, and frankly, without us there would be no intramural sports. In every professional sporting league, the officials’ judgment is protected by fines for speaking out against officiating. Maybe USU should resort to holding transcripts or imposing fines similar to those at the library for those who feel the need to vent for their team’s failure at our expense.
The good news for students holding these views is that there is an avenue of redress. Every semester the Campus Recreation Department posts job listings for student officials. My challenge to them is to come out and show us how to do it! The opportunity is yours to put the flag in your pocket or whistle in your mouth, and make our “team” better.
Cornell Brown