I live in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m guessing some of you might be aware that recently that means I’ve been living inside an oven. Literally. This is record-breaking heat even for those of us who are used to desert extremes with weeks and weeks of temperatures above 110 degrees and overnights in the 90s, so there is no relief. And it’s mainly due to a high pressure dome, one that won’t move on and which is causing us to sear like meat.

Don’t believe me? Last week, a guy was waiting for a bus and thought it might be a good idea to sit on the curb. He got third degree burns, through his clothes.

I mention this because while I whine and moan daily about getting fried by my seatbelt or weeping at the scorched remains of my vegetable garden, I must remind myself of one important thing: I no longer have to go outside and work in the heat.

I was an amateur sports official for 40 years. Twenty-nine of those were here in Arizona. When I had games coming up, I paid close attention to the weather report, because I often had to deal with extreme heat and sometimes that did not go well.

Consider that in baseball, a sport played year-round here in the Southwest, I had to don under armor-type gear, plastic shin guards, a thick chest protector, polyester shirt and pants, a tight wool hat, and a face mask constructed of metal and leather pads. While in football there was no heavy protective gear to contend with, the requisite under-garments, long black polyester pants, striped shirt, and cap were not made with hot weather in mind.

Many people may not realize this, but as a sports official my primary responsibility was to keep people safe. Every year, my brethren and I took classes and clinics, webinars and exams that not only focused on game rules, but on safety protocols, as well. And still, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, 51 high school football players have died from heatstroke since 1995, which was the leading cause of preventable death in high school sports.  

Note that high school athletes are primarily young, healthy individuals, while the average age of a high school sports official is about 50. I didn’t retire from officiating until I was almost 65.

While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issues safe temperature norms for those who work indoors, I could find no such limit in place for those who toil outside. Construction workers, firefighters, miners, agricultural workers, mail carriers, and others must learn to tough it out. And, I learned the hard way, so do officials.

I was working a varsity high school football game in severe heat one evening, when I noticed two of my crewmates were not in their positions. I looked toward the endzone, where both were lying in the grass, suffering from heat sickness. I’d worked with these men for years and had never seen them go down. One was a medical doctor, and when he said he couldn’t continue, I knew we had a problem, because I also felt ill. I’d had heat sickness at least three other times, so I knew the symptoms and realized that soon I might be lying in the grass with them.

It was just before halftime, so I called the head coaches together and explained the situation. For safety reasons the game could not continue with fewer than three officials, so in an effort to finish the contest, I suggested we run the clock in the second half,  which means the clock is not stopped in the usual manner between plays. I considered it a fair and equitable solution. The coaches argued a little, but since neither wanted to return and continue the game at a later date— which would have happened if I went down—they agreed.

I couldn’t have been more surprised when my boss called a few days later and railed at me for running the clock. It seems the losing coach, though he’d agreed on the field, had called to complain.

I held my ground. “I have a right to protect those at a game from harm,” I said. “You know that!”

“Yes, you do, but the rules say your job is to protect players, coaches, and fans. There’s nothing in the book that says you have to protect other officials.”

I almost dropped the phone.

The point, of course, is that it’s not just difficult working in the heat, it can be deadly. In fact, more people die of heat-related injuries in this country every year than in all other weather-related events combined.

So, the next time you head out to watch your children and grand-children play a game, carrying your chilled water bottle and hand-held, battery-powered fan, wearing a floppy hat, T-shirt and shorts, maybe say thank you to an official, if one passes by. Because without them, there’d be no game. And, after all, sometimes they’re risking their lives for your enjoyment.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

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