Subject: RE: [BD] SoG & observers
Personally, I'm with Tom Styles on this one.
The worry, as Tom stated, is that with such a system that people will try to
break/bend the rules as much as you can. I don't think that logic really
works. If you are a person who wants to break/bend the rules then with no
observers you ALLWAYS get away with it. You just contest the foul/travel
etc. and gain an advantage. With observers at least some, if not all, of
your shit calls will get overturned by the observers and repeated shit
calls/fouling/dangerous play will get you/your team penalized.
Sorry, Mr. Palmer, but I think that logic does work. Yes, people always get away with it if they make shitty calls in ultimate, but have you noticed how many of these people actually play? It's precisely because it is the player's (and only the player's) responsibility to play fairly that most numpties give the sport a wide berth.
For example: a) you make a shitty call, that you and the opposition both know to be shitty. How do you justify it to yourself? Do you really want to win at ALL costs? Why not cut the brakes on the opposition minibus? You won't find many people to play with, never mind against.
b) You make a call that you and your opponent both know to be shitty, but an observer (who doesn't feel the elbow in the back) says 'no foul'. Now it's not your fault, it's the observer's, and there's no need to feel guilty.
If Michael Owen went down like a sack of spuds and awarded HIMSELF a penalty, the uproar would be considerably greater than when he cons the referee. The blame transfers to the chap with responsibilty for the call.
I'm not saying that observers would overnight make us contest more calls; people in UK ultimate don't generally play that way. The problem is those people who join the sport - I would argue that observers would lead to a slow but inevitable decline in the spirit of the game over a period of time.
On the other hand, as the sport becomes more serious, I have no objection to line judges. In this case, unlike that of fouls and picks and all the rest of it, the player involved often has the worst perspective since he's looking at the disc; and indeed so is his marker. I don't think we need line judges, mind you, but I also don't think that (if they became necessary) they would erode the spirit of the game.
Benji
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