The Officials In The American Football

To keep the sanity among the fans and especially the players, and to keep the game within the official rules, football officials are needed. These are the people football fanatics love to hate. But without them, football games may all be mayhem and chaos as there wouldn't be any person to keep the rules of the games working.The football officials in the field could be distinguished by their uniform. They wear black and white vertical striped shirts, white pants and black or white caps. These people, composed of 6 to 7 members, are the ones who maintain the rules as outlined by a specific league. They keep the game going smoothly, call penalties when necessary, and ensure that all players are playing fair and don't hurt other players unnecessarily. They are also tasked to keep watch of the play and game clock as well as record all infractions against the rules. They are oftentimes called referees. However it should be noted that there is only one member of that group which could be properly called as referee. Each of these officials has his areas of responsibilities as discussed below:Referee - The main guy on the field. He is the official that has the final authority in most concerns of the game and the official interpretation of the rules, he announces the penalties, explains them to the team captain and the coach, he safeguards the Quarterback from any hits beyond those tolerated by the rules. He is distinguished by his white hat, other officials wear black. Umpire - He is the official that rules over the conduct of the players as well as their equipment. He ensures that each team only has 11 players on the field at any given time, aids the referee in determining the legality of ball possession, and records all the scores, the winner of the toss coin and timeouts. He normally stands 5 yards away from the line of scrimmage. Head Linesman - This official is responsible for all violations committed across the line of scrimmage. He also monitors the downs as well as controls the chain crew. Line Judge - Apart from keeping the clock, he also helps in monitoring activities within the line of scrimmage.Side Judge - This is the official whose main domain is in the sidelines. Any violations committed concerning the sidelines such as out of bounds will be called by this official.Field Judge - This official is responsible for keeping track of the clock and calling delays. He also rules on plays that crosses the goal line of the defense as well watch for violations on the use of hand during play, catches and passes. Back Judge - This official's main concern apart from what was already mentioned on other judges is to confirm or deny point made through goal posts.
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