The Futility in Blaming Others
Tim Ball
Thursday April 3, 2003
I have shaken the hand of several referees before a game and I found one thing in common with each one, they were all human.
Yep, that’s right, just people, not one cyborg in the bunch. And, you guessed it; they’re not perfect.
This is Arena Football everybody. Things move faster in this sport than you can say “hey” to the peanut vendor.
San Jose should be undefeated once again. The two-point conversion in LA? Caught on the wrong side of the goal-line. A catch in the endzone in the Georgia game? Ball bounced off of the padding in the endzone and then was caught! That’s a big no-no in this league. How did the coaches respond to all of this? Let’s see:
“Last time I looked we let them score over sixty points,” said SaberCats defensive coordinator Michael Church, commenting on the losses. And, that reference above to blocking and tackling, passing and catching, I got it from Darren Arbet, the reigning ArenaBowl champion head coach.
He’s a champion for a reason: non-sniveling.
Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds
As a pitcher, I would sometimes stare in disbelief as a ball I had just thrown went over the plate dead center and belt high and no strike call would emanate from the mouth of the umpire. And yes, I was given my walking papers a few times for debating the issue with “‘ol Blue,” but I never once asked if a call be changed when I clearly saw a pitch a foot outside the plate was called a strike.
In the Destroyers/SaberCats game, kicker Daron Alcorn flipped an onsides kick 10.2 yards to a diving Barry Wagner who caught the ball “right at the feet of the ref.” It was clear from the retreating Destroyers that they were fooled, big-time, by the play and when the referee called the play in favor of Buffalo, it was clear that he was also fooled. I saw the play happen from across the field. The referee was tying to get out of Wagner’s way and make the call at the same time. Fans weren’t all that happy with that ref, but I’ve never heard roars of disapproval when the ‘Cats get one in their favor.
Maybe the league should allow a fan or two to be on the field during a few plays like the coaches and officials. Heck, half the time both are just trying not to get killed as sixteen players come smashing their way. Forget about making the right call, you’d think self-preservation over correctness too.
Arena Football is the first sport that allows the fans to be able to literally reach out and touch the action. Can you imagine how many hangings there would be in hockey if that bulletproof glass between “those” fans and the referees were not there? Think of Arena Football as kind of like hockey if that game had 10 feet wide by eight feet high goals.
“Bad Fans” Versus Bad Fans.
Rowdy fans are a fun part of the game, make no mistake. And the players and officials are well aware of the verbal abuse shouted just inches away. But that does not excuse vulgarity & sexually explicit language or dangerous actions.
When a game is blamed on a bad call there are always emotions involved. Players and coaches who calm down and view game films figure that one bad call at the end of the game is overshadowed by many things that the team could have done better.
A kicker who wins or loses the game was brought to this point in the game by missed tackles, blown coverage, bad blocking, dropped passes, bad throws, etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseum …same goes for a questionable call by an official.
There is no excuse for violent and disgusting behavior and language. If that is what a fan is seeking, the NFL is just a few months away. And, for a few thousand dollars, you can get your fill of disgusting fans venting their wannabe lives at opposing players and officials.
This is Arena Football and it has stood the test of time and stands alone. Being a fan-friendly sport certainly doesn’t mean being wimps in the stands but whining has never gotten a call reversed or made a team play better.
This kind of fan cares nothing about his team or sports for that matter. Fan is short for fanatic, not psychotic, and hearing and seeing the truth means hearing and seeing the truth.
There are a hundred plays for every flag that is thrown.
Can’t We Just Get Along?
So the moral to this tale is not that anyone should let a referee off the hook for blowing it. Heaven forbid. And besides it is part of the game after all (A fun part.) But, blaming and crying and carrying on “ain’t gunna change nothin’.”
Second, Instant Replay is an abomination against everything that is holy in sports. It is a true shame that it is used in any league. The human factor is there when we’re born and there when we die. It should certainly be the biggest part of living.
In the AFL, where a team can score on one play every time they have the ball, complaining about bad referees is misplaced scapegoating. Trying to find excuses for failure should be solution-driven not buck-passing.
Why not call your favorite team on Monday and ask who scouts the players? Or who hires the staff? Franchises are not built on a future of who they can blame, but who they can count on.
The fault for what happens on the field is the responsibility of the players and the people who put the players on the field. Blaming the officials is an endeavor sought after by also-rans and losers.
Winners don’t make excuses, they make things happen.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
