Spectatorship on Blast

The stands were filled with fans cheering on their teams Friday night at the high school gym. The games were intense enough, but when parents witness their child being pushed around on the court, things got heated quickly. There were some moments when the referees did not call fouls that were obvious from the stands. One spectator could be heard saying “Learn to call the fouls, do you need my glasses?”

While I understood the frustration and anger at some of the missed and erroneous calls, I realized later that my vantagepoint from the stands gave me an advantage that the referees don’t have. The referees can only call what they can see. Sometimes while looking down the court, they miss what is happening right in front of them. This was true in football season as well.

I began to feel like the Cubs were playing against the opposing team and the referees. I was shocked to learn that at times, the other team felt the same way. The coaches and spectators from both teams yelled at the referees. I shouted right along with them.

William photographed the play where Parker Mayers was dragged to the ground by his face mask, which the referee never called because he was looking at something that happened further down the field. By the time his eyes refocused on the players right in front of him, the play was over, and he had missed it. I know that it is a lot to ask to be patient with the referees, especially since even I have a hard time with it, but we need to remember that they are human.