The Dancing Referee

One of my favorite UK correspondents found a faith-restoring clip of a dancing referee. Well, he's not really dancing. He's refereeing a soccer match. The musical accompaniment and the artful cutting makes it look like he's dancing. And yet, some of his movements are exceptionally dance-like, unnecessarily graceful, downright exuberant.

It's less a testimony to soccer than it is to the human spirit. The fun of soccer belongs to the players and fans. The officials are there, not to have fun, but to keep the way clear so that fun can be had by others. They allow the players to leave aside concerns about fairness and safety, so that they can focus everything, everything on the game. But refereeing is often a difficult role, one that leads to argument and bitterness, insult and injury. To find a space for joy in all this, to transform yourself from an official to a performer, requires courage and commitment and deep enjoyment. It kind of makes you think that anyone, regardless of role or position or function or job, can find fun, if fun is what that person is ready to find.

It's probably useful to note that not all sports require referees. There's at least one I know of that asks players to be their own referees. It's called "Ultimate Frisbee." Though the Dancing Referee is a testimony to the human spirit, Ultimate Frisbee offers us another testimony, to what they call the "Spirit of the Game." To understand fun, we must find ways to celebrate both.