The Officials’ Corner with Henry Bray – Why Officials Don’t “Miss It on Purpose”

The Officials’ Corner with Henry Bray is brought to you by Walshs ACE Hardware and Rays Do It Best in Spring Green.

Friday May 8th

Why Officials Don’t “Miss It On Purpose”.

One of the most common things you hear in sports is, “How do they miss that call?” or sometimes even, “They had to miss that on purpose.” From the outside, it can feel that way in a fast, emotional moment. But from the official’s perspective, that idea just doesn’t match how the game actually unfolds.

High school officials aren’t standing there looking for ways to influence a game or tilt things one direction. Most are reacting in real time—often with players moving in multiple directions, bodies blocking sightlines, and decisions needing to be made in a fraction of a second. There’s no rewind button, no slow-motion replay in the moment, and no perfect angle like fans might have at home.

What often looks like a “simple call” from the stands can be anything but simple on the floor or field. Officials are trained to focus on position, timing, and rule interpretation, but even then, human error is part of the game. The goal is always consistency and fairness, not perfection.

The truth is, most officials are just trying to get it right—one play at a time—while managing a game that moves faster than any one set of eyes can fully capture. Mistakes happen, but intentionally missing it isn’t part of the equation.

At the end of the day, officials are part of the game, not above it, not against it—just working inside it, trying to do their best in real time, just like the athletes competing beside them.