To Our Extended Officiating Family,
As the premier event in our sport approaches, all of us have thoughts that relate to our relationship with the sport and with each other. Even when preparation meets opportunity, opportunity often has good fortune on its side; and those of us who this year have been fortunate enough to be selected to work this game, we know we carry the banner of many dedicated and unselfish people who have helped provide us this opportunity. As the crew for Super Bowl XLV, we know that when Sunday, February 6 arrives, emotions and thoughts will vary greatly among our officiating family. While normal custom will have us and millions more glued to the television sets and engaged in the debate about the upcoming contest between the Packers and the Steelers, we would like to ask everyone, in their own way and at the time of their choosing, to pause and put the day’s heightened awareness in perspective.
Every year, and this year has been no exception, our officiating family has become smaller because those with whom many of us have developed our relationships over the years have passed on. We miss them! Still others are undergoing hardship and fighting battles that make this gridiron contest pale in comparison of its significance and effect those battles will have on many people. These personal battles exist among current and former officials, among our beloved family members and extended family members, among our friends, coworkers and others who have supported all of us over the years. While the temptation will be to focus on the hype and theater of the Super Bowl, we would ask all of you to do as we will do on Sunday, and that is to pause and reflect upon those who are playing in life’s big game – the one that in the end really counts.
To be certain, we have a job to do and we will be prepared when the whistle sounds to perform to the best of our ability. But prior to that whistle, all of us will take time to reflect upon those who deserve the real attention. On this special day when it is so easy to lose sight of the things that are really important, we would like to ask you to join us in taking a moment to remember. Make this a special day for all our officiating family not by what we will see along with millions of others, but by what we will each say in his own heart for those closest to us and those who need our thoughts and prayers. Be thankful, be gracious, and be humbled before God for all our many blessings.
Your Friends in Officiating,
Super Bowl XLV Crew
