Sport: A Lot of Fun

A big-time football official combines the judicial integrity of a Supreme Court Justice with the physical agility of a gymnast; he must be able to keep 22 high-strung and violent athletes from beating one another's brains out; he must be instantly ready to use any one of 24 signals to indicate any of 61 fouls and penalties; he must know the complex rule book of football by heart. As one of the top men in the trade, Referee Paul Swaffield sums it up with a craftsman's pride: "You can't very well be a dummy and be a referee." In exchange for...

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