"STOP YELLING AT REFEREES.SIGN UP TO BE ONE INSTEAD"- BDN....

[Ralph Damren]

This editorial was in today's Bangor Daily News (2-5/6-2022). If felt you guys might enjoy. Posting it here is WAY beyond my pay grade. Any with more talent than me may be able to.
                                                     -Ralph

[HLinNC]

Here's the link-

https://bangordailynews.com/2022/02/04/opinion/editorials/stop-yelling-at-referees-sign-up-to-be-one-instead/

[HLinNC]

And another, not particularly related but yet topical, story.
https://bangordailynews.com/2022/02/04/sports/high-school-sports/maine-officials-want-to-stop-so-many-blowout-games-in-high-school-football/

[Ralph Damren]

Thanks, HL, for retrieving these. I attended the meeting in the second article and the major issue revolved around 8 man football. There seems to be a huge spread between the 'haves and have nots'. Maine opened 8-man football only a couple of years ago and now 29 of our 75 schools with football have chose to join. For many ,it was to save their program. IMHO, for some, it was to improve their chances to win a title. I worked 4 8-man games this past fall and 3 were played under running time throughout the 2nd half (35+ lead). The discussion revolved around preventive measures. I had attended the 6,8,9-man meeting at our rules committee and shared some opinions. We have 4 levels of 11-man and 2 levels of 8-man. Three directions were suggested :

(1) Enrollment of school determines level of play.

(2) Place cap on number of players.

(3) if a team wins or plays in 2 championships in a row, it would be ineligible for post-season for a year OR move up a level.

          WHAT SAY YOU
                      (5-MAN CREW)

[dammitbobby]

This is not a unique problem to Maine - 11 of the 15 varsity games I worked this season were 6-man games, with the average point differential between the teams, of around 42 points.  In Texas, for #1, enrollment absolutely determines what level you compete at - in fact, two 6-man teams are moving up next year that have both been perennial champions or at least powerhouses, and it will be interesting to see how they do, or if they even decide to field a team.

#2 - not sure how that would work, either there, or here in Texas

#3 - I personally would love to see this at all classifications - you win 2 championships in a row, you get moved up to the next bracket, and the worst team from the bracket above, gets moved down, much like relegation in the English Premier League.  Yall might be able to pull that off, but it will never, ever happen here.

[ncwingman]

I think I pulled something rolling my eyes at the Tom Brady bit. The Great Resignation is about people fed up with being underpaid in exploitative jobs -- people saying "I don't make enough to put up with being mistreated", which is one major reason why there's an official shortage as well and is a very apt analogy for the topic. However, I don't think Tom Brady quit his job because he thought he was being underpaid or undervalued.

As for the blowout issue, I'd probably suggest a promotion/relegation system and possibly even uncouple it from enrollment entirely (or have a floor for large enrollment schools). Win and you move up, lose and you move down. Start with the current layout and the first couple years have it be the top quarter moves up and the bottom quarter moves down - not just restricted to championships. The major complicating factor is having to keep things geographically oriented to prevent the only good school in Caribou from having to travelling two hours for every away game.

I would vote against the sitting out a year option, because it short changes a graduating class. Especially in the big enrollment, high performing schools, you probably have seniors playing mostly and next year is the next group of seniors. It would be very awkward to say that the Class of 2024 is not allowed to compete in the playoffs because the Classes of 2022 and 2023 were too good. You're penalizing next year's players for this year's success.

[Ralph Damren]

Thanks, Bobby & NC, before 8-man was born it was purely enrollment. A team could choose play down a class without any postseason, if they chose, so ineligible for post has been heard of. I'm unsure if a cap on numbers would be very effective for, IMHO, if you have a 40-man program, 20 players will play 90% of the game...if you have a 25-man program , 20 players will play 90% of the game. IMHO, sports are great for keeping kids of the streets. IMHO, football is great for teaching teamwork. IMHO, turning the weaker kids isn't the answer.
                                                                 

[JasonTX]

Or teams could just play defense.  Teams where I'm from may suffer a season of being demolished but they usually return the favor the next season or so.

[ElvisLives]

Before you make any decisions about shortening games, or running clocks, etc., keep the players in mind. After all, it is THEIR game. Not ours. Not the coaches.
For the vast majority of these kids, these are the only 30 games (plus/minus) of organized football in which they’ll be involved. They won’t play college or professional football. This is all their parents will get to see them play. Those 2nd/3rd team players are the ones that will have their time taken away. I was one of those, and I treasure the few minutes I was able to play, in those games that we had comfortable leads.
I understand the concern for safety, but some folks are taking away other parts of these kids’ social development, and I just don’t think they should have any more of it taken away.
Put it on the coaches to be good sports and play their benches and just run simple straight-ahead running plays. Probably asking for too much.

[HLinNC]

Put it on the coaches to be good sports and play their benches and just run simple straight-ahead running plays. Probably asking for too much.

I think that is why some of our states went to running clock rules because putting it in the hands of coaches didn't work.  Back when it was "a gentlemen's agreement", we would run up against the odd "non-gentleman" and that occurred on both sides of the score.  We had a start-up charter school about 15 years ago that got put in our region for a while whose first coach would absolutely not stop throwing the football when down 72-0.  We celebrated when realignment moved them out of our region.

I've also got an issue with coaches who believe that they are incapable of putting in 3rd stringers/JV's in the 2nd quarter when they're up 40-0.  Our running clock rule doesn't take effect until we reach 42 point lead after halftime.

I do foresee NC officially adding 8 man down the road soon.  We've had several high schools in the state, pre and post COVID, suspend a varsity FB season due to low numbers.  Some of our home school teams have been playing 8 man but I've not worked any.  The only 8 man I ever worked was for our state school for the deaf. 

[Ralph Damren]

Well said, Elvis, when the 49th kid on a 50-man arrives in the game ;he often feels like he's in the super bowl . Sports are an important part of life lessons. Next to synchronized swimming (not a male dominated sport), football is the ultimate team sport and whatever is done should not shortchange the kids.

A good friend, and officiating buddy, had a son that was entering high school several years ago. Dad tried to convince his son to play football, but the son wanted to play on the golf team instead (a fall sport in Maine). The son's answer was classic : "Dad, if I play football, it'll be only for four years. Grandpa is 81 and still playing golf." I understand that,too  ." 

Thanks for your post, HL, while many schools in Maine have gone the 8-man route, some that have stayed at 11-man co-op with nearby schools that don't have football.That,too, has worked.

[AlUpstateNY]

Well said, Elvis, when the 49th kid on a 50-man arrives in the game ;he often feels like he's in the super bowl . Sports are an important part of life lessons. Next to synchronized swimming (not a male dominated sport), football is the ultimate team sport and whatever is done should not shortchange the kids.

A good friend, and officiating buddy, had a son that was entering high school several years ago. Dad tried to convince his son to play football, but the son wanted to play on the golf team instead (a fall sport in Maine). The son's answer was classic : "Dad, if I play football, it'll be only for four years. Grandpa is 81 and still playing golf." I understand that,too  ."

Totally agree with your thoughts about all that sports (especially football) teaches.  As for Golf I always think of a different piece of advice, to pass down and/or sooth myself "Many are called, but FEW are chosen.

[dammitbobby]

https://www.kcbd.com/2022/02/09/uil-suspends-roosevelt-high-school-head-basketball-coach-after-rule-violations/?fbclid=IwAR17DF83dKX9sMJlZ_36BvsH0NaRo2V28eRxR2E74FfA8KG15V6b8a-cTbs

Here’s one I don’t think I’ve seen before.