Evening star., 1927-11-04

Nm ARBOR. Mich. November
~ Officiating in any game OF
II sport is very difficult
n The machine called the minC
must interpret and translate
what the machine called the eye
visualizes, and in few men is this in
terpretation and translation the same.
Even when it comes to the descrip
ton of immoblc objects, the eyes and
minds of two men seldom junction
exactly alike. When action is added
and especially swift and dramatic ac
ton, as in foot ball, the chance of any
two men seeing one specific bit OF ac
ton the same way is lessened. For
this reason foot ball and basket bal
are the most difficult of games in
which to officiate.
This difference in faculties OF OBJ
servation was clearly presented in an
instance happening here at Michigan
years ago. 1t was in a field entirely
removed from sport.
Offers Fine Illustration.
A talented professor of the law school
had an impromptu fight, ending in
gun play, staged in his classroom
without the preliminary knowledge of
his class, which was in evidence. AS
soon as the apparent arrests had taken
place he ordered the class to write
briefly a description of both men and
the incidents of the fight. Virtually
none of these descriptions tailed, the
professor finding that the students
had seen short, tall, slim and rotund
fighters, garbed in both light and dark
suits, with hair ranging in color from
black to red. This, the professor
pointed out. was the way honest evi-
dence sometimes would differ.
In addition to eyes not seeing the
same, psychologists tell us that we
see what we most desire to see, and
that it is difficult for two men desir-
ing to see different things to come
anywhere near seeing the same thing
in any set of facts. This makes Off
ciating in foot ball doubly difficult, for
while the officials are trained to see
correctly and are picked as impartial,
they are surrounded on every side by
partisan crowds. each bent on seeing
just what the other side does not wish
to see.
Errors Bound to Occur.
If it were possible to eliminate diff
ferences Of seeing and Interpretation
in a hard-fought game like foot ball,
it might be possible to eliminate Off
cials altogether and send % men on
the field to play according to the rules.
This would be the ideal condition, the
Valhalla of sport, but one that is not
possible under present conditions of
mind and eye.
1t is approximated to some degree
in games for small numbers, like ten
mis- and golf. but none of the games
in which bodily contact occurs has yet
reached that height.
From the standpoint of the develop
ment of a certain battling spirit in
youth, it might not be an ultra-desir-
able condition when reached, although
and tomorrow might be trained to at
tain it,
Foot ball has added to it's officials
instead of reducing the number.
Fourth Official Now.
In the original rules a referee and
an umpire were in charge of the game.
The third official was named headlines.
man, an assistant to the two officials.
He was given the duties Of keeping
track Of downs, the points to which
the ball was advanced and holding the
timekeeping watch.
With the new game, having more
open play, a fourth official was named.
This fourth official was first dubbed
an assistant umpire and then named
field Judge, his duties being the same
under both names. He was placed far
down the field, where long passes and
punts would terminate. He was, there
fore, in position to judge who first re-
covered tumble and to decide just
when a ball was dead, as well as to
take charge of violations that might
occur in that part of the field. This
change, again, allowed the major off,
cials to remain near the point where