AFTER A YEAR BREWING IN MY HEAD AND ME SLOWLY DRIPPING ON MY iPad, we round out the 22 Rules of Refereeing with the
22nd. FINALLY.
“By going us the opinions of the uneducated, journalism keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community.” – Oscar Wilde
IGNORANCE.
September 1998. Senior Year
Kellenberg Memorial High School: Uniondale, NY
A RITE OF PASSAGE of sorts, I had the esteemed luxury to have Fr. Phil as a Latin teacher – the man that created the high school that has meant so much to me more than half my life. It was only 30 of us, that had that privilege. Since 1987, each passing year he gradually waned in visibility and by the time it was my last year, I was his only class. He had a tradition to meet one-on-one with all of his students. The stars aligned for me to be one of them, that year.
Spellbound was I, after taking a seat in his office. I was perplexed by all the owls that surrounded the room like silence that sealed it. “Have a seat,” Fr. Phil said. I did, as I locked in eyes with one particular owl piece which was a clock that had a pendulum with eyes rolling to and fro. He asked me if I liked owls.
I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t sure.
“YES,” I blurted out. 17 year old me, never really thought of them, until that moment.
“Do you know why owls envelop my office?” As my mouth was left agape, I didn’t have a chance to say something I wasn’t so sure of. He used the word envelop.
“Owls are a symbol of wisdom.”
He continued. “Who do you think knows more, me or you?”
Not knowing how to proceed, I didn’t.
He. Continued. Further.
“You know more than me. I realized the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know.”
Was this a riddle?
For 22 years, that experience has guided me in embracing the ignorance of the fact that the more that I know, the more I realize that I don’t.
“Ignorance of one’s misfortunes is clear gain.” – Euripides
Officiating is no different. The more you get engrossed it, the more you realized that theirs levels to this game. This year was a dream for me. I was able to check a lot of boxes of my personal goals, preempted by the pandemic. Mastering a middle school game is one thing on the basketball court, mastering staying still behind the plate in a baseball game is another.
“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of own ignorance.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Getting used to a JV basketball game is something, the speed of a Varsity pitcher’s fastball is yet another.
Ignorance may sound like a negative trait in anything. Lord knows that ignorance is abundant amongst speaking of this COVID tragedy. Damn near everyone is a epidemiologist, prognosticator, a quack, et cetera. In that regard, it doesn’t stem the tide of what’s what nor hysteria that’s ubiquitous.
However, when it comes to the game of officiating, ignorance can be your greatest asset.
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and
then success is sure.” – Mark Twain
Ignorance coupled with the first rule, fearlessly failing, becomes an force of unstoppable proportions. It takes courage to do a game that you aren’t ready for. It takes bravery to get thrown in the fire and not get burnt. It takes confidence to jump in the water and not drown – reffing is the same. You may not know what will happen, yet the fear will not grab a hold of you.
Don’t let ignorance be a hindrance in your trajectory. Aim for the stars – and take solace that that ignorance should burn as much as the fire that lights up your passion of what we do – reffing.
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucious
#Untiltomorrow
