Home : Book details : Book description

Description of  A Tough Job Made Harder: Football Officials in an Unforgiving World

With pressure to perform free from error in Americas most popular sportan impossibilitythe work done by football officials has become more difficult than ever. A Tough Job Made Harder explores how this has happened and looks at the challenges that lie ahead for the game and its officials. Cultural imperatives grounded in team allegiance have increased the stresses on footballs judges to invariably get it right. Officials offer a path of low resistance for those channeling ire over a games untoward outcome. Fans, coaches, and players investment in their teams success often leads to anger toward the officials, adding strain to those overseeing and judging the games. Even physical assault on officials is not unheard of in todays football. The increased demand for perfection has invited technology into officiating. Paradoxically, the tools designed to cure mistakes have led to unintended consequences that have made the job even more daunting. Fans expect officials eyesight to match the slow-motion, high-definition images television affords. And with increasing stress on player safety, the burden to make the game safer has been added to those already borne by the profession. Underappreciated for their skill and dedication, the dynamics impacting the work and perceptions of it are leading to high attrition. This trend is troubling for the games future. In Read more