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Sean Kenney of Lakeville is a writer, father, and aspiring arborist.
We love our sports here in New England. Loyalties run deep, competition is fierce, and victory over our rivals is sweet.
And throughout these competitive battles, referees are there to enforce the rules and to make the tough calls so the games can progress. Referees aren’t perfect and they don’t always make the calls we think are right. With passions running high, we can be frustrated by what they cite or miss.
But we all understand, regardless of the team we root for, that a referee’s judgment must ultimately be respected and their authority over the game must be absolute. A baseball player who had been called out would not be allowed to remain standing, in defiance, at third base. We would simply never permit it.
We know that if a coach or team were allowed to bully the ref into changing a call, or to replace the ref with another who would make the call they wanted, the game would be over. There would be no point in playing.
In fact, we take their authority over the game so seriously that if a player or coach tries to intimidate or disrespect the referee, they can be thrown out of the game.
In our democracy, judges are the referees.
They make the calls about where policies and actions run afoul of the law and impose penalties where appropriate. In short, they ensure our society plays by the rules.
As in sports, passions for our party and positions run high, and we want judges to make calls the way we see them. We advocate vehemently for our positions and strive to win the day, which is all part of a healthy democracy of competing ideas.
But when all is said and done, judges make decisions that must be followed with the same deference we give to referees — and for the same reason. Without the rule of law, our democracy will cease to function.
No party or politician can or should be allowed to bully judges or to remove them from the bench until they get the call they want. They cannot defy the ruling of the court and continue breaking the law. The ref has made the call and standing defiantly on third base cannot be allowed.
We demand respect for rules and authority in sports regardless of our team. We must demand it in our government regardless of our party.
