Your job is to umpire for the ball and not the player.
Bill KlemRead
The best umpired game is the game in which the fans cannot recall the umpires who worked it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A well-officiated game is one where the referees or umpires do not draw attention to themselves.
Bill Klem's quote emphasizes that the ideal scenario in sports officiating is when the umpires perform their duties so effectively and unobtrusively that their presence goes unnoticed by fans. This suggests that a good umpire facilitates fair play and enhances the experience of the game without overshadowing the athletes' performance.
Themes
UmpireSportsOfficiatingFairnessGame
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared at a sports officials' training seminar to highlight the importance of discretion.
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