As someone who believes that as much decision-making and control as possible should remain in the hands of players, I think the onus is on us to find real, practical solutions to this problem. We all have a responsibility to look out for the safety of each other as players and for the integrity of the our sport as a self-officiated game. I think it is wrong to immediately concede this authority to third-party officials, though that will happen if we cannot adequately address it ourselves.
We pride ourselves as a community on our ability to work through tough conversations and hold ourselves and each other to a higher standard. But if we can’t have the honest, difficult discussion about what we all can – and must – do to address this problem, we should not be surprised to see third-parties taking on a more active role in protecting player safety.
To what extent are we comfortable asking third parties to step in and enforce rules? How should we define the type of play that we collective agree deserves more accountability than a simple foul-no contest? What should that accountability look like? This is our opportunity to have a say in how this issue is addressed. We need to speak up now or the rules or enforcement responsibilities will change in ways we may not agree with or like.
Let’s engage in being a part of informing our community’s (and USAU’s) response to this issue rather than settling for decrying it from the sideline.