Charity and football - better ask permission first?

[stevetx19]

Has the whole world gone crazy?


http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/b...hschool-279246

...he has little choice but to discipline officials who used colored whistles. He claims that letting them continue without punishment would send the wrong message to student athletes.

"They chose not to ask for permission, not to go the right route," Stordahl told KING 5. "It sends the wrong message to kids that are playing the game. 'If they broke the rules why can't I do the same.'"

Originally Posted by Washington Referees may face ban for charity pink whistles

Fri Oct 22 03:03pm PDT
Washington referees may face ban for charity pink whistles

By Cameron Smith

A group of high school football officials in Washington state were trying to support breast cancer research while working this week's games, so they made a pledge to donate all game checks to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Then, to top off the charitable gesture, they announced they would all use pink whistles during the games. Now there's a chance those whistles could cost the refs a chance to work state playoff games.

KING5.com Story - High School Refs Could Be Penalized for Pink Whistles @ Yahoo! Video

According to KING 5 News -- with thanks for the news report above -- and the Associated Press, officials who are part of the Pacific Northwest Football Officials Association who worked games on Thursday night were informed by the chair of the Washington Officials Association that they could face a two-game suspension for using pink whistles. The playoff ban is possible because the colored whistles violate the uniform protocol for state high school officials. Those uniforms allegedly call for black whistles only, and the WOA claims that no officials asked for permission to use pink whistles for their designated charity games.

The chair of the WOA, Todd Stordahl, told KING 5 News and MyNorthwest.com he has little choice but to discipline officials who used colored whistles. He claims that letting them continue without punishment would send the wrong message to student athletes.

"They chose not to ask for permission, not to go the right route," Stordahl told KING 5. "It sends the wrong message to kids that are playing the game. 'If they broke the rules why can't I do the same.'"

Though no discipline has been decided upon, Stordahl indicated it was likely that pink whistle-blowing officials would be suspended for two playoff games. That would not only keep the referees from working at the annual pinnacle of their sport, but also cost them two game checks.

Considering that the referees were already donating one game check to charity, that would leave them with three fewer checks than in a typical season.

Meanwhile, MyNorthwest.com is reporting the PNFOA is arguing the dress code for officials does not technically specify that only black whistles be used, which means any suspensions would be unwarranted. That follows a Tuesday PNFOA meeting in which the group's president, Mike Livingston, said the board voted unanimously to use the colored whistles, regardless of penalty.

The officials themselves seem to be on board with the PNFOA decision, due to a commitment the referees felt to both breast cancer awareness and each other. There's little indication that the threat that came Thursday night from the WOA will keep them from using the pink whistles they intended.

"A lot of the guys in the association have been touched by breast cancer in some way," referee Jeff Mattson told MyNorthwest.com. "So we decided to take on the Susan G. Komen Foundation."

[daystcity]

yes

[jp58]

Wait, so we want people to be charitable and help each other out, then we punish them when they do so. Perfect.

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by jp58

Wait, so we want people to be charitable and help each other out, then we punish them when they do so. Perfect.

Sadly, I've come to expect this kind of crap.

[shadowtippy]

No good deed goes unpunished.

[GregC]

Ugh, brain hurts. Hopefully, someone close to this Stordahl fellow is telling him what a bonehead he is.

[ulrich]

Swell - people, who know squat about reffing, making decisions about refs.

No harm - no foul. The pink whistles had zero game impact, so no punishment. If you're really unhappy about a minor infraction, with no game impact: issue a stern warning.

The article omits detail, but apparently the ref's dress code, doesn't even cover whistle color. Again, no call. If it ain't clearly against the rules: no call. The sport I ref, roller derby, just strongly recommends a Fox 40 whistle, no mention of color.

Sending the wrong message to players. If you punish a trivial, no game impact infraction, you send the message that you're pompous prats, getting in the way of the game.

[stevetx19]

Originally Posted by ulrich

The sport I ref, roller derby, just strongly recommends a Fox 40 whistle, no mention of color.

whoa....fox 40? A bit loud for indoor use, don't you think?

[ulrich]

Originally Posted by stevetx19

whoa....fox 40? A bit loud for indoor use, don't you think?

Yeah, it can be brutal. in the echoie mess of the county fair, hanger we were in last night, it was especially bad. Still, you gotta get the derby girls attention somehow.