Female officials in male sports

[Illuminattile]

I thought I'd open this up a bit wider than just the current debate. I know a lot of male sports already have female officials, so it'd be interesting to compare.

Anyway, there's been some debate recently about female officials in the English football leagues. Luton Town manager Mike Newell complained about a female referee's assistant who made a bad call in a match, and went on to say that women had no place in men's football. Obviously there's been fierce criticism of that, but also a lot of support.

So, your opinions? Is there any reason why women are incapable of officiating male sports? What about the inevitable sexist abuse they'll get from fans and players? Does a woman have what it takes to control 22 angry male footballers? Is there a difference between officiating pool or snooker and officiating football or rugby?

Do American sports have female officials? Has this debate cropped up there?

 

[Devious]

i can't think of any major sport here in North America that has female officials, but i don't see why it should be a problem. a woman is just as capable of officiating a sporting event as a man is. but i suppose it would depend on the sport and the physical abilities of the female official. for example i couldn't see a woman officiating a sport like hockey, where there is plenty of contact and potential for injury to the officials. but it is a good question, and i don't really have a solid answer for it.

 

[FroDawgg]

^^^the NBA has female referrees

 

[Devious]

^^^the NBA has female referrees

do they? i haven't watched the NBA in years, so it's no surprise i didn't know that lol. but for the sake of this thread, are they as good at officiating as men are?

 

[_carmi]

why can't women be officials? it ain't hard applying rules to a game. anybody who has a bit of intelligence can do that. if men can, women can.

 

[Devious]

why can't women be officials? it ain't hard applying rules to a game. anybody who has a bit of intelligence can do that. if men can, women can.

but it's not just about calling penalties and applying rules to a game. i'm not saying a woman can or can't do it, but for example, lets use American football. i've seen some nasty collisions in my time of referees getting nailed by players accidentally. is a woman going to be able to stand up to a 250-lb linebacker crashing into her? i really think it depends on the sport when it comes to this question.

 

[hizzle?]

well i'm for it, but...unless its a man-looking lesbian, a woman doesnt really have the same autohrity as this man :

If the girl ref told Newell to shut the fuck up, he wouldn't be complaining

 

[FroDawgg]

do they? i haven't watched the NBA in years, so it's no surprise i didn't know that lol. but for the sake of this thread, are they as good at officiating as men are?

there was a little controversy when they first started, but that was simply gender-based, not b/c there were many problems. i haven't heard anything negative about them recently, though.

 

[Flipmo]

players wouldn't take a woman seriously. It's simple as that. They'd give the ref pet names and stuff.

Lets see you give Collina a pet name. Bald head to the face.

 

[_carmi]

but it's not just about calling penalties and applying rules to a game. i'm not saying a woman can or can't do it, but for example, lets use American football. i've seen some nasty collisions in my time of referees getting nailed by players accidentally. is a woman going to be able to stand up to a 250-lb linebacker crashing into her? i really think it depends on the sport when it comes to this question.

yeah but then again, not all male officials are big. but yeah maybe for that kind of issue a man is better idea than a woman. but i think in some sports like soccer or basketball, female officials should be permitted. depends on the sport. i wouldn't see female officials in hockey or football. too violent. but then again, if women can be cops, why can't they be officials?

 

[hizzle?]

Not soccer... Imagine a female official in Mexico.... They'd beat her up to death.