Follow up to the Pink Whistle Saga

Some interesting (I think/hope) developments regarding the blog that I posted yesterday about the referees at the high school football game in Washington state.

After I posted the blog, my mother read it, and sent a very strongly worded email to the WOA (Washington Officials Association).

A quick side note about my mother – she is (as I mentioned in the other blog) a cancer survivor (19 years now, and still going strong, Thank God!), and she is a writer and editor – so when she has something to write, you can bet that there will not be any misunderstandings in her message.

Anyway – rather than advertizing her writing skills, history or perspective, I’ll simply share what she wrote:

What in heaven's name were you thinking! A group of referees at a high school football game made a symbolic show of support for the players and fans who want to join the fight against a disease that kills one in nine women, and thousands of men, as well. More than that, they made a material show of support by donating their pay for the evening to the cause. And you want to punish them--not for poor officiating, but for putting a whistle around their necks that was a non-standard color? Not only was your decision ludicrous, but it opened your organization to criticism throughout the county, throughout the state of Washington, across the United States, and around the world. You're afraid that the kids will learn it's okay to break the rules? Baloney! The kids and their families are supporting a major effort to fight a deadly disease. The people officiating at the game were joining them. They're learning the importance of standing up for important causes. More power to them! The referees didn't lose validity in this one--the WOA lost validity, credibility, and respect. The television news report of your action was downloaded onto the Web and has thus far been seen by more than a quarter-million people around the world. The only positive result is that you folks come across looking utterly ridiculous. You're the latest laughing-stock on the web. Great move, people!

Mardi Zeiger

To the credit of the WOA, she received a reply within just a few hours. The reply was this:

Thank you for your comments.

The Washington Officials Association is completely in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and many other worthy causes. We sincerely regret that the media coverage has given a different impression. The media has not accurately reported the entire story. The issue at hand is not about wearing pink whistles at a football game. The WOA has not and will not suspend, reprimand, or take game checks away from any officials for wearing pink whistles. The WOA has a process for reviewing decisions made by our commissioner and our member associations. That process will be followed and all affected parties will have an opportunity to present their side of the story. We only ask that you reserve judgment until you hear the complete story not just what you see and hear in the media.

Sincerely,

Dean Corcoran
Vice President
WOA Executive Board

I have to admit, this is a very reasonable answer from the WOA, and I truly hope that their actions validate the sincerity that I feel Mr. Corcoran’s letter displays.

However, I think that it is also very important to note that what he writes in the letter is pretty diametrically opposed to what the WOA representative interviewed in the news clip actually said.

So, while Mr. Corcoran feels that the media “has not accurately reported the entire story”, it is very easy to understand what led the media to "misunderstand" the WOA's position.

And since Mr. Corcoran writes that the “issue at hand is not about wearing pink whistles at a football game”, I would be very curious to hear what the issue at hand truly is. Again – I don’t think anybody can be faulted for believing that pink whistles are the issue, considering the actual statements made on the air by the WOA representative.

I was especially pleased to read that Mr. Corcoran wrote that the WOA has not and will not suspend, reprimand, or take game checks away from any officials for wearing pink whistles. That would have been beyond ridiculous and I am pleased that it will not be the case.

I respect Mr. Corcoran’s request that people hear the complete story before judging what we believe is right and wrong, but it all boils back to the issue which I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago – what is the real issue at hand?

If the issue is, as the WOA representative also mentioned in the interview, that the referees didn’t go through the proper channels in coordinating the whistles with the WOA, then that is a reasonable point for the WOA to make. But I honestly cannot see it being worthy of any punishment or action. If the WOA asks the referees to be more conscientious of requesting special considerations like this in the future, I cannot imagine that the refs will refuse to do so, or even that they will not understand that this is an appropriate condition for the WOA to lay down.

If the issue is something else, then I’m at a complete loss, because all we have to go on at this point is what the official said in the interview (or – in the interest of fairness, what the news program actually aired of the interview). So it makes sense that we reserve our judgment and see how this unfolds.

There is one thing that I do feel that I can say at this point, no matter what the “whole story” is and no matter what the “real issue at hand”. The person who was interviewed in the name of the WOA represented the organization in a completely horrible manner. Even if we only heard parts of the interview, some of what he said was completely inexcusable.

A major first step for the WOA, for me, at least, would be to dismiss that spokesman from the organization and to completely and unmistakably distance themselves from the ludicrous statements that he made.