By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Officials prefer to stay out of the spotlight, but the avocation is at the center of important discussion again as something seemingly inevitable has taken place in the southeastern Lower Peninsula – recently scheduled football games had to be moved because of a lack of officials.

The Hillsdale Daily News’ James Gensterblum tackled the topic in a recent column – and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves:

“This crisis has been a long time coming, and we have no one but ourselves to blame. Fan behavior has never been perfect at high school sporting events, but in the last decade it’s hit an all-time low, and I could find numerous examples across the country to back up this assertion.

… Over the years, I’ve seen opinion pieces to parents appealing to their humanity and civility in order to get them to treat referees better. I’ve seen shame, I’ve seen bargaining, all sorts of rhetorical tactics, all of which seem to have failed. So let me try something a little different. Let me appeal to your love of sports and your investment in their continued survival.”

Check out Gensterblum’s work in its entirety at the Hillsdale Daily News.