It seems it's time to eat some humble pie. Some time ago I took exception to a ruling by a local soccer official at a local match and chose to express my discontent. His ruling, in my uninformed opinion, was a tad harsh on the players in question and I wrote about it in one of my weekly columns. To my mind, the official in question was a heartless soul who was more concerned with the letter of the law than the spirit of the law. His ruling seemed to be completely opposite what was happening on another school soccer field on the same day.
Recently I had an opportunity to watch the same individual officiate a recent local tournament during one of the sweltering days we've been blessed with this month. To my astonishment the official in question stopped the game in the second half to allow the players to take a water break. That seemed a compassionate, thoughtful act by someone who has the best interests of the young athletes at heart.
I'll admit, seeing another side of the individual in question made me wonder whether I had been too quick to judge and criticize in my earlier assessment of the man's decision.
That being a distinct possibility, I personally apologized to the official in question and vowed to refrain from hasty judgments and trumpeting critical opinions in the future. Sometimes there are reasons for a ruling on and off the field which may not be readily apparent to spectators on the sidelines. They should not reflect on our opinions of those charged with making and enforcing the decisions in question.
A little more tolerance and acceptance and a little less criticism could go a long way to exhibiting true sportsmanship. It could also help one to eat a little less crow.
