I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Being a referee is one of the hardest jobs in sports. I wont compare it to rocket science or biochemistry, but as far as sports go, it may be the equivalent. Casual fans don’t realize the amount of intricacies in a rulebook that must be applied to every single play.
Shannon Eastin is not your normal official. For one, she is a woman. She is one of only 5 women in college football, according to Theresa M. Walker of the Associated Press. More importantly then that, she has moved up officiating’s ranks to the FCS’s (Division 1-AA’s) MEAC conference, in which the local Morgan State Bears compete. On Thursday, Eastin will break a major barrier in officiating by becoming the first female official to referee the highest level of football in America when she officiates the Chargers vs. Packers preseason game.
Officiating is undoubtedly a boys club in all male sports. In the MWOA, a group I am a member of, there is one female referee. Eastin will hopefully bring along a bit of change to this. By becoming the first female, she opens the door to other female referees and may make it easier for them to rise in ranks.
In all honesty, this groundbreaking accomplishment should go to Sarah Thomas. Thomas was the first female official to work a bowl game, the Little Caesars Bowl, in 2009. She is a FBS (Division 1) official with a better résumé than Eastin. Probably most importantly, she is on the NFL “watch list” the list of major college officials the NFL chooses from when they have openings, according to Julie Hayes, a Yahoo! contributor. However, this actually works to Thomas’ advantage. By the time Thomas makes her debut, and many believe she eventually will, it will be more normal for a woman to officiate NFL games. This will make it easier for her to blend in and do their job.
When I first got into wrestling officiating, one of my teachers told me that the best day an official can have is one where the athletes and fans don’t even remember your face. Eastin’s accomplishment will hopefully create it easier for female officials nationwide to do this, as well as encourage a new wave of female officials to pick up the pinstripes.
BLOG from Terrapin Junior Max Grossfeld
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