This Week's Question: Does High School Tennis Need Officials?

Portland Press Herald › May 29, 2008

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Summary

RACHEL LENZI

High school tennis should use officials. Currently, high school tennis is a self-officiated sport, unlike almost every other sport (save for golf) that has officials, umpires or referees to regulate the game and enforce its rules. It's another form of the honor system, a system in which people are trusted to follow the rules and trust their own judgment in unsupervised situations. But can we trust the honor system anymore? Is the honor system enough to keep the players honest? Just like in society, rules, regulations and fair judgment are necessary in the realm of competitive sports, especially at the high school level, where sports are regarded as an extension of life lessons. Without officials, the margin for error - and for cheating - grows wider. That margin can be significantly reduced with the use of officials, who can ultimately rule on a call in question.