FCEtier

Signalling a penalty in Sept. 2011.

At the end of the 2012 football season, I retired as a high school football official after sixteen seasons. In retrospect, it was a good decision.

The stars of tomorrow. Do they have to start so young?

As a spectator, I lost interest in professional sports almost twenty years ago. Now I’m concerned about the state of college level sports and the influence it has on high school sports. How far does the influence reach?  Is there a level of sports, especially football, that is unblemished?

Acting on the premise that others may share my concerns, I turned to long time coach and official, Joe Sturniolo. We met online in a forum for officials. His comments and opinions have inspired, consoled, and entertained the members of our group for several years.

I didn’t realize just how much the uniforms had changed!

This weekend, I begin a series of blogs to work out my thoughts on football, sports, and their places in my life. My interview with Coach Sturniolo is presented in two parts. Today is part one, conclusion is tomorrow.

Here’s a preview of one of the questions. Coach Sturno’s answer is thought provoking.

FCEtier: Overheard last week in a sports bar, “I lost interest in basketball when the men’s shorts got longer than the women’s.”

Your reaction?

For part one of the interview, including his answer to the above question, please click HERE.