Give Them An Inch, They Take A Mile

The basic definition of the saying “give and inch and take a mile” is:

a situation where permitting some small undesirable situation will allow gradual and unavoidable worsening.

This is exactly what has happened to the NFL, the game of football, and the whole replacement referee fiasco we currently witness every Sunday.

In their never ending desire for greed and power, the NFL has inadvertently opened the flood gates of chaos.

By not coming to an agreement with the Real Referees of the NFL, the NFL itself has changed the game with installing the replacement referees.

My best analogy is to this is substitute teachers.   Think about it, you have a regular authority figure , the teacher, who controls the class, sets the example and lays down the law every day.  If the teacher is any good, the kids know who is in charge and what is expected.   Sure, you are going to have the one or two trouble makers who will always try to push the boundary but they are not the majority and they are not usually successful in their efforts to permanently disrupt the class room world.  In essence there is controlled and well organized chaos.

Then one day, the regular teacher gets sick and suddenly there is a substitute.   Suddenly the whole class is faced with a new person who is unfamiliar with the ground rules, does not have the full curriculum for others to follow, and in short – opens the door of opportunity.  More kids “test” the boundaries of play and behavior, and if they get away with even the littlest of infractions, others join in and soon you have completely changed the whole dynamic and behavior of the class room world.

This is what has happened in the NFL.

The game is slowly getting out of control.

In a way, this is a perfect antithesis or perfect storm to the leagues recent efforts to “civilize” the game.

While watching the games, part of me enjoys the heightened intensity of the play and increased trash talking that has taken place.  Football is by nature a physical and violent sport filled with intense competition.  Players have always played and talked up their “game”.  But, just like with kids and substitute teachers, when a couple get away with things that normally would not be allowed, then others join in, and even escalate, and soon we no longer have controlled chaos.

In other words, give them an inch, they take a mile.

I don’t blame the Refs.

I don’t blame the players, or even the coaches – although they could and should play the role models themselves by instilling discipline in the heads of their players (AKA are you listening to this Mr. Josh Morgan? Mr. Fisher?  Mr. Shanahan?)

I blame the NFL and Roger Goodell.

Some say for real change to occur, something drastic, dramatic or life threatening has to happen.

I hope, in the case of the replacement referees, the referee union, and the NFL; that this does not happen.  If allowed to escalate, somebody could get seriously hurt or entire outcomes of championship games will be altered and fans just might push the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

What I am hoping comes out of all this is real change.

• An added talent pool of referees (male and female) to officiate the game.
• A moderation of extreme play and extreme whistle blowing.
• And at least a semblance of good old fashioned football where a strong hard hitting defense is just as good, just as important and fun to watch as a high scoring offense.

What I am hoping we do NOT get out of this is the NFL’s version of The Lord of the Flies.