Ignorant Sports' Fans

I am sick of going to sporting events and hearing the fans yell at the officials. I believe people go to these competitive games and matches to cheer their teams to victory. Perhaps I am incorrect in this thinking. Maybe the real reason they go is to vent their every anger at the injustices in the world. Poverty abounds, our economy is in a near-depression, murderers and rapists commit the unimaginable daily . . . but "Call it both ways, ref!" is what some choose to use their voices to say to confront the atrocities that face us. Their loud, loud, loud voices.

I am all for disagreeing, just ask anyone who knows me, but I am not for disagreeing in ignorance, or worse, stupidity. I follow local high school and middle school sports, so I am at many games and matches. It is sickening, although somewhat amusing, to hear what people have to say.

"Holding! Holding! There was holding!" Really? On a football play? Duh! If you know football at all, there is holding on every play. EVERY PLAY! Do you really want the officials to call it all the time? C'mon now. They should, and usually will, call it only when the holding directly would impact the play.

"Foul! Three seconds! Over the back! Traveling!" and my favorite, "The foul count is off!" So, what you're telling me is this: The officials are supposed to be sitting there keeping a tally of fouls on a Post-it note to ensure that it's all even-steven? While your kid on the other end gets elbowed and begins to bleed, you want the ref. to make sure it's four to four on the fouls? Okay, idiot. By the way, there is no over the back call. Read a rule book, please.

The worst is when a fan picks and picks and picks at the officials, disagreeing with every call against his/her team and then decides to cheer for those in stripes once a call is anti-opponent. It is remarkable how quickly the refs. became good! Weren't they blind and biased just thirty seconds ago? Laser surgery and an attitude adjustment in under a minute, guaranteed!

Can you imagine if all the effort that went into screaming at the officials was transferred to cheering on the team instead, what would happen? Wow! I get goose bumps just thinking of it.

The incessant wailing at officials is getting so bad that one fan wore ear plugs to the last game. Many of us moved from our original seats to watch the game more peacefully, and - oh, the insanity!- cheer for our team.

I am not saying the officials are always right, or even 90 percent correct. I am married to one, so I know. They are human, and they will miss calls. Most of them will admit to this if you ask them. They are not, for the most part, there to hurt either team. If we didn't have them there, the contests would not be able to take place. I also know that a) your yelling will not change a call b) your yelling will not make the official start changing his/her calls and c) your yelling at an official will not help your team win.

For the sakes of all of us who are actually there to rally our teams to victory and don't want to wear ear plugs, please find some other way to release your pent-up emotions.