December 15, 2000

REFEREE magazine celebrates 25 years

(RACINE, Wis.) — Referee, a monthly magazine by sports officials for sports officials, celebrates its 25th anniversary with the January 2001 issue distributed today. The magazine is read by more than 80,000 sports officials worldwide. In today’s publishing business, where niche publications come and go, the success of Referee is significant.

"No one thought it would work," says Referee founder and publisher Barry Mano. "But we stuck with a game plan — to provide accurate reporting of information that readers could only get from us. Today that hard work is being celebrated. By no means are we done, we’re only beginning."

The impetus behind the magazine in 1976 was a referee controversy. Mano says a Chicago newspaper took exception with a game-ending call by a referee at a closely contested Bulls game. The paper named the official and accused him of having not only cost the Bulls the game, but completely blowing the call. However, replays proved the official correct, but the paper did little in the following days to redress the damage done. The official happened to be Mano’s brother, Mark.

"He got it right (the call), but the media could have cared less," says Mano. "They had no idea how much trouble they caused Mark. He got death threats at his home when they published his name and hometown.

"Being an official myself (at the time, Barry worked a NCAA Division I men’s basketball schedule), I understood the pressures and it occurred to me that officials needed a voice at times. Obviously, Referee has grown into something much bigger than simply a voice nowadays."

What started out as a bi-monthly, black-and-white, eight-page publication has now become a monthly 80-page, four-color, "bible for the industry."

Referee produces features about officiating personalities, covers the news in the industry and provides sport-specific columns on baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and more. Its features offer different views than those of the mainstream media.

"We’ve gone beyond just the calls and cover the official’s world at-large," says Mano. In recent times the magazine reported NFL referee Phil Luckett’s version of the controversial coin-flip game that occurred in 1998. Only Referee had the real story (Luckett got it right, according to the NFL), and it sparked columns backtracking on the personal criticism of Luckett.

"Sports officials are easy targets because they so often are not in a position to explain themselves," notes Mano. "Most leagues have gag rules on the officials, so we have been able to go behind the scenes and share the facts. Most importantly, we have been able to use such incidents as learning experiences for other officials so they don’t make the same mistakes."

Mano emphasizes the importance of the publication as a learning tool. He believes that officiating has improved greatly since Referee came to be.

"We definitely have impacted the mechanics and game management techniques of many officials," he says proudly. "We don’t try to analyze a specific call, but rather look at it as to what factors led to the officials making the decision. That kind of approach helps everyone improve."

The business of publishing a magazine is only part of what has grown into an industry for Mano and Referee Enterprises, Inc. The company employs 22 fulltime writers, graphic artists and staff. In addition to publishing the magazine, REI produces sport-specific training booklets and publications, markets numerous Referee-branded products and manages the day-to-day operations of the nearly 19,0000 member National Association of Sports Officials (NASO). NASO is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational association that provides liability and assault protection insurance as well as several other optional insurance programs, promotes educational training and provides public relations support that promotes sports officiating as a positive, rewarding and meaningful profession.

"It is amazing to look back and see where we have come in 25 years," Mano reminisces. "What’s really great though is to now look ahead and dream about what the next 25 years will become."