The new rules basically mandate over officiating. I officiate another sport, but I can tell you its getting harder and harder to find officials. Most of us are getting long in the tooth and officials are legitimately becoming an endangered species. The younger kids don't want to spend three hours being yelled at for pennies on the dollar. Most people think man the refs earn hypothetically $$$$ a game. Well consider this: A 1 hour commute to the game, 1 hour pregame and 1 hour post game meeting, 3 hour game, 1 hour ride home. That's basically seven hours of an individuals time on a Friday night and for what???????
Another factor to be considered is the liability being put on officials.
@HooSprings, you mentioned knee pads. According to civil law, if an official willingly ignores a violation of an equipment rule and a participant is injured the said official can be held civilly liable in court. True Example in Virginia (another sport): A player is instructed by an official prior to the game to take an earring out, the coach states at the pregame conference that all of his players are legally and properly equipped. The player comes to bat and is hit in the helmet with a pitched ball, blood trickles down and it is discovered the earring has pierced the players neck. Instead of the player being held accountable both the coach and official were found civilly liable in a Virginia Court to the tune of $20,000.00. With today's litigious society and people refusing to hold themselves accountable for their own screw ups damn right I am going to over officiate and so would you.
