Female referees?

[Hoagie24]

To me a ref is a ref no matter what gender,race,or species. They're still gonna cost us games and I'm still gonna cuss them out and scrutinize every bad call. On a serious note a female ref better be able to take a lot of criticism because the media is gonna be watching every call more than any other ref so it will definitely be tough for them.

[CrypticVillain]

So I see the question pop up in this thread "Will coaches yell at her if she makes a bad call?"
 

Hmmm, if only there was a woman referee in another professional sport that we can use as a reference....

 

 

 

 

In the heat of the moment, nobody is going to care if the ref is a woman or not. If she is properly trained to referee a football games, she takes everything that comes with it. As long as nobody hits her, which is something they can't do to any ref, it's all good. Let the women officiate.

[War Paint]

This idea is about as dumb as a man wanting to be a waiter at Hooters.

[Destino]

It's 2013. Women are on the fight cards for the UFC, serving in the military, and chasing gang members around the worst city streets in America. Why then am I reading nonsense about big fast men on a football field being dangerous? Just stop with the delicate flower nonsense. It's not like current refs are currently surviving the season due to their amazing athleticism and lightning fast reflexes.

The women inclined to fight in the UFC, fight in the military and chase gang members are the exception not the norm. The women who would be refereeing are more likely to fit into the general population of women who are generally not as aggressive or in love with violence as men are. It is reasonable to believe that people of different genders could make different calls based on such. I'm not saying a woman is incapable of delivering the EXACT same level of refereeing as a man. Just that there IS a legitimate, reasonable, position that the general differences between the sexes COULD make a difference in how they call a game.

You think that all the women in the military, police, and combat sports are outliers but the woman (and one day maybe more than one) who may want to be NFL refs are going to be plucked from a stereotypical majority? Seems unlikely. Also I don't think football is about loving violence and aggression, its a sport not an illegal street fighting ring. There is no shortage of women now that enjoy football now, as is.

Women are a great deal tougher than some in this thread appear to think they are.

[RichmondRedskin88]

I saw this thread becoming a disaster early on.  Anyone who is the against the idea is probably gonna be labeled as being sexist or something.  This thread is like a guy asking his best friend if he made the right choice on his new girlfriend right in front of his new girlfriend.  There's one answer or you die.

[sacase]

 

 

One point I'd like to bring up regarding being in harms way, women are not weaker or more fragile than men. ;How often do you see a ref really get hurt anyway?

Really? Women are not weaker or more fragile than men physically? Then why don't women play collegiate and professional football? I'm not being rude, just asking....because if everything is equal physically, you'd have to think there would be a great number of female talents playing football. If you say that physically the genders are identical, and the reason women don't play is society influencing them to not want to....then why do they want to referee football if they have been psychologically conditioned to regard it as a man's sport?

As for how often refs get hurt? Couple of times a season, I'd guess. It doesn't happen as much since they moved them out of the path of the football outside of the last 2 minutes of each half.

Oh, sorry....I forgot. I'm supposed to be a sexist who doesn't want to discuss this issue. My bad.

lol

 

I'd like to know when I said women are equal physically.  A look at the average female and male weight alone can clearly disprove that.  Women don't have thinner bones, they aren't more sensitive to pain, women are not more fragile. 

Actually they do have thinner bones

 

http://www.nof.org/articles/235

 

I would also argue that most NFL refs are over 50 and women over 50 suffer from osteoperosis. Hence if a player runs into her, something is going to break. 

 

Now to my personal opinion, if she goes through the same qualifications as any other referee, then I do not have a problem with it if it is based on merit alone. If special allowances are made for her or times are cut, then I do have a problem with that. 

 

It looks like Sarah Thomas is going to be that ref, she is about 40, looks in good shape, has decent experience since she has refered in D1 although it is in the Conference USA which I wouldn't exactly say is full of powerhouses. But she has been refing for 16 years so if she passes the same tests, I have no issues. If she can keep up with the speed of the game, more power to her. 

[TradeTheBeal!]

^ Well said.

[ArmchairRedskin]

The only issue that catches my attention is, will Head Coaches still yell and curse at the female refs when they make a bad call?

 

 

Makes me think of A League of their Own. "There's no crying in Baseball!" 

[Duckus]

I don't see any problem with it.

 

As long as the requirements and standards are equal for men and women to become NFL referees - what is the problem?

[elkabong82]

It's 2013. Women are on the fight cards for the UFC, serving in the military, and chasing gang members around the worst city streets in America. Why then am I reading nonsense about big fast men on a football field being dangerous? Just stop with the delicate flower nonsense. It's not like current refs are currently surviving the season due to their amazing athleticism and lightning fast reflexes.

The women inclined to fight in the UFC, fight in the military and chase gang members are the exception not the norm.  The women who would be refereeing are more likely to fit into the general population of women who are generally not as aggressive or in love with violence as men are.  It is reasonable to believe that people of different genders could make different calls based on such.  I'm not saying a woman is incapable of delivering the EXACT same level of refereeing as a man.  Just that there IS a legitimate, reasonable, position that the general differences between the sexes COULD make a difference in how they call a game.

 

Except you completely ignore the level of refereeing she is already at. If there was an issue with her performance as a ref she wouldn't be on the verge of making it to the NFL.

 

Is there a legitimate, reasonable position that the general differences between the sexes could make a difference in how they perform a job? 

 

I have experience running a collegiate intramural program. While it wasn't professional refs, I was in charge of interviewing, hiring, and overseeing refs. Never during flag football, soccer, basketball, or any other physical event was there a difference between the sexes that you seem to be concerned with. Your premise of women being less inclined to violence means they'll call things different I never once saw and in fact when interviewing and hiring refs the issue of gender differences was never considered mainly because men and women with an interest in sports approach it the same way.

[Burgold]

May the best person get the job. As for coaches not yelling at female refs... Don't be silly. This isn't the 1950's. men and women yell and cuss in each others presence. Now, you shouldn't hit a ref, but then again you're not supposed to put your hands on a ref male or female.

[GhostofSparta]

Good for her. Doesn't mean she won't be just as stupid, just as blind, and just as biased against the 'Skins as every other ref in the NFL.

[elkabong82]

This idea is about as dumb as a man wanting to be a waiter at Hooters.

 

[JesseNeckred]

 

 

 

One point I'd like to bring up regarding being in harms way, women are not weaker or more fragile than men. ;How often do you see a ref really get hurt anyway?

Really? Women are not weaker or more fragile than men physically? Then why don't women play collegiate and professional football? I'm not being rude, just asking....because if everything is equal physically, you'd have to think there would be a great number of female talents playing football. If you say that physically the genders are identical, and the reason women don't play is society influencing them to not want to....then why do they want to referee football if they have been psychologically conditioned to regard it as a man's sport?

As for how often refs get hurt? Couple of times a season, I'd guess. It doesn't happen as much since they moved them out of the path of the football outside of the last 2 minutes of each half.

Oh, sorry....I forgot. I'm supposed to be a sexist who doesn't want to discuss this issue. My bad.

lol

 

I'd like to know when I said women are equal physically.  A look at the average female and male weight alone can clearly disprove that.  Women don't have thinner bones, they aren't more sensitive to pain, women are not more fragile. 

Actually they do have thinner bones

 

http://www.nof.org/articles/235

 

I would also argue that most NFL refs are over 50 and women over 50 suffer from osteoperosis. Hence if a player runs into her, something is going to break. 

 

Now to my personal opinion, if she goes through the same qualifications as any other referee, then I do not have a problem with it if it is based on merit alone. If special allowances are made for her or times are cut, then I do have a problem with that. 

 

It looks like Sarah Thomas is going to be that ref, she is about 40, looks in good shape, has decent experience since she has refered in D1 although it is in the Conference USA which I wouldn't exactly say is full of powerhouses. But she has been refing for 16 years so if she passes the same tests, I have no issues. If she can keep up with the speed of the game, more power to her. 

 

very well said!  yea I'm totally not a medical expert, but yea if the woman is physically qualified, all the power to her.

[RichmondRedskin88]

This idea is about as dumb as a man wanting to be a waiter at Hooters.

 

[hailyeah1]

boy this is a "HOT" debate,lets just say this ,what would you rather look at making a call or running down field , a fat out of shape old man  or in shape 30something female ?

[TheItalianStallion]

boy this is a "HOT" debate,lets just say this ,what would you rather look at making a call or running down field , a fat out of shape old man  or in shape 30something female ?

 

I'm in favor of female refs provided that they're qualified, but this isn't a good argument in favor of that. If I want to look at attractive females during a football game I'll look at the cheerleaders, thank ya vereh much.

[Mocountyskins]

If the NFL wants to add a female ref then fine go ahead and do it. But when it gets hyped up it really gets on my nerves. I don't want to see the "First female NFL referee" on Good Morning America and signing book deals and getting paraded around as a "hero" no you aren't a damn hero, you're a referee. 

[War Paint]

This idea is about as dumb as a man wanting to be a waiter at Hooters.

 

Hey, I'm sure he is fully capable of delivering a basket of hot wings to a table.  He probably pours iced tea like a champ.  If he can do the job fine, why can't he be a waiter at Hooters?  Are we still living in the stone age or something lol?

[War Paint]

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".

 

The last thing we need is for a female ref to remember Mike Shanahan cussing her out.  We'll get PI calls non-stop from that point forward.

[No_Pressure]

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".

 

The last thing we need is for a female ref to remember Mike Shanahan cussing her out.  We'll get PI calls non-stop from that point forward.

 

I know right, what happens when we're in the middle of breaking the huddle and the whole stadium comes to realize that this woman has been decorating each team's bench with pink fabrics, stuffed animals, flowers, and construction paper cut into hearts? Also, will she or will she not burst into tears erratically during her time of the month, therein missing valuable football plays?!

 

Could you imagine when she shows up to run around with the big boys in HIGH HEELS like those stupid women do, with their brains that are only half the size of ours???

[Mocountyskins]

Nah that sarcastic scenario won't happen sir. More likely that her first game she has to show she is a tough cookie and flags someone for 15 that wouldn't normally be called. Then its back to normal. But that's more of something to be expected from anyone. A lot of new refs do that. I do see everyone's point tho and respect all of them except the people who were tossing out insults and not contributing

[Puma Kane]

there might be the first female ref calling games on a regular basis in the future..

there is one training in New Orleans right now working practices and scrimages.

What does everyone think ?   it doesn't matter to me a zebra is a zebra once they put the uniform on just hope they won't treat her different because of it also showing respect.

I think its awesome.

The NBA has a woman as an official and the NFL should done it years ago.

[hailyeah1]

there might be the first female ref calling games on a regular basis in the future..

there is one training in New Orleans right now working practices and scrimages.

What does everyone think ?   it doesn't matter to me a zebra is a zebra once they put the uniform on just hope they won't treat her different because of it also showing respect.

I think its awesome.

The NBA has a woman as an official and the NFL should done it years ago.

Hope when this happens she is trained well  ,training is one ,game experience is another  I remember there were actually a couple of good male refs in the past ,Tommy Bell which was very good but had  the knack of calling penalties on our team at the worst times and one in the Gibbs 1 era which his name escapes me at the moment .

Hope when they do have a female Ref  it isn't some sort of novelty situation and when the first ball hits her head by mistake or get hit /ends up in a  pile someone doesn't cry foul!!!

[hailyeah1]

 

This idea is about as dumb as a man wanting to be a waiter at Hooters.

 

Hey, I'm sure he is fully capable of delivering a basket of hot wings to a table.  He probably pours iced tea like a champ.  If he can do the job fine, why can't he be a waiter at Hooters?  Are we still living in the stone age or something lol?

What did Ron White say " Its things like this that make you go BBLLLUUURRRHHH!!!! LOL!!!