As you know, I am a huge Louisville Cardinals fan. My mood can be very much affected by how my Cardinals perform in a given sporting event. I attend most U of L home basketball games and find it quite disturbing that we can't seem to get a call on our own court! Of course some may assume that this is just my biased opinion as a fan. Perhaps that is true to a degree, but my friend, who happens to be a die hard Kentucky fan, reiterated those same sentiments after a U of L game he recently attended.
I am not trying to suggest that there is some sort of conspiracy against my Cardinals, but there does seem to be an alarming trend. Assuming the referees don't actually have it out for Louisville, there may be a way to help remedy the situation: Get new officials! No, not because the current ones are all corrupt, but because they are just too darn old! The vast majority of referees in major college basketball are way too old and out of shape to keep up with the elite athletes running up and down the floor.
I realize that there are certainly some elderly people that have a high level of cardiovascular fitness, and plenty of young people that couldn't jog to the end of their driveway. My question would be: What is the fitness criteria (if any) a college basketball referee must meet in order to prove that they can carry out their responsibilities on the court? If there is not something in place, then there should be. And if they have something in place already, it needs to be reevaluated.
I understand that officials are human and they will not always make the correct call. The game is played at a fast pace and we often miss things in live action. There is no excuse, however, for not being in the proper position to make the call. When a ref makes an incorrect call because they were trailing the play and didn't see what actually happened, I get very frustrated.
If you are a referee at the highest level of college basketball, you should be one of the best officials in sports. Unfortunately, it appears that the same refs that were running the floor when Denny Crum started his coaching career are the same ones attempting to run the floor now. It's time for a new standard for officiating to be set, not to mention some new bodies.
Go Cards!
