Admittedly, this sounds like faint praise, but I always thought Steve Shaw deserved his reputation as one of the SEC’s best officials. But I’ve just got to chuckle at the idea that outfitting SEC refs with a wireless communication system is going to make a whit of difference out there.
… The NCAA football rules committee allowed the SEC and Big Ten this spring to test the system, which international soccer referees have used for several years. Wearing a small earpiece and microphone, the seven football officials didn’t have to huddle to discuss penalties and could engage in pre-snap conversations to catch possible infractions.
Great. Penn Wagers and company will be able to discuss whom they want to slap with a penalty even before the play commences. We are witnessing the birth of true cutting edge officiating.
And I’m sure this stuff works brilliantly. After all, it’s been tested on the stage of the world’s biggest sporting event.
Vokkero, a European company, initially developed the system called VOK-REF in 2005 based on specifications from the French Professional Football League and French soccer referee committee. The device was used in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup.
Yeah, the 2010 World Cup, a classic example of better officiating through science.
I can’t wait.
Get The Picture 
Soccer’s poor officiating is a result of having only one official in a huge field of play containing 22 players. It’s not a result of using wireless communication between the field official and the 2 sideline officials.
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Soccer’s poor officiating is because of people like me that fall down at the least bit of contact. We all do it. The wirelesss communication comes in handy when someone punches me in the nuts while I have my back to the ref sheilding him from the infraction. The linesman can see it and tell the ref so he can and dole out the punishment…regardless of the fact I deserve to be puched in the nuts for being the world’s biggest douchebag.
Also, my haircut is terrible…I use Vick’s Vapor rub to matt it down like this.
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If there were more officials on the pitch, you wouldn’t be able to get away with your crap near as much as you do now. They’d see your flopping instead of just seeing the aftermath of you rolling around on the ground.
The problem in soccer is the number of officials, plain and simple.
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Just adding one in line with the goal posts on each end line, so they can watch the line for goals, and the box in general play/dives, would help.
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Whatever its cause, it’s not like the fancy new tech stuff made an improvement.
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It absolutely helps. You’re kidding yourself if you think it doesn’t.
I’m not saying it should be used in football but it’s important in soccer for the field official to be able to communicate as quickly and effectively as possible with the only 2 other resources he has – the 2 sideline officials – who are sometimes are long way away from where he is. Also keep in mind that play in soccer is generally continuous unlike football where a play lasts a few seconds.
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I thought Shaw’s reputation took a hit his last year or two. I would’ve said Matt Austin was tops on the list in conference officials, but he laid a stinker or two out there last year.
Honestly the league office should clean house like the PAC 12 did a year or two ago. That Wagers even still has a job in this league constitutes negligence as far as I’m concerned.
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+1000.
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I don’t mean to be too cynical here, but honestly what benefit are these headsets going to provide? What is actually going to be improved? It just seems as though this is going to add another complicating layer to everything…ie just one more thing that can malfunction and screw up some team’s momentum or a drive. Are these guys going to be able to concentrate better when they also have to listen to someone now whispering in their ear before, during, and after each play? Just seems like a poor use of resources.
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Anybody know what frequencies these things will use? Get your scanners ready. Be neat to listen in to some of the conversation.
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Yeah. You might catch one saying something that they wouldn’t want the public to hear–like fixing the outcome of a game.
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Vok-Refs, Vok’em all.
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