Yes Stanley, we are ...

Are We All Nuts?
A Personal Story by Stanley Lover

Look at the facts. We are an endangered species. More than a million of us worldwide, dying out like dinosaurs of a bygone age. Our demise is largely due to our own folly for we suffer the cruelty of human nature from the very people we help add sunshine into workaday lives. We put up with insults, abuse, threats and assaults.

Trained experts in our field, we are the targets for the masses who protest, contest, accuse us of corruption and worse.

No, we are not politicians. We are sports officials.

According to verbal taunts from the sidelines we are the lowest form of human existence, illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents, fair game for insults and humiliation. So, why do we do it? Are we all nuts? ...

See the whole story here, from referee magazine.

Kicking Back Comments: A fun read. This was especially true in light of the article Kicking Back ran the other day in "How to get into college 101", where we had a view from a young referee in their college essay.

Very interesting to juxtapose the two essays. There were more than a few common threads, and a few things that did not align at all. If I had to pick a "side" though, it would be Stanley's.

Then again, I'm an old guy now and 20 years ago, I no doubt would have had a different view. Funny how my perspective of The Game has changed with me as I have gotten older. Sure a shame FIFA has cut, and likely will continue to cut, the age limit on the highest level referees. There is something to be said for life experience.