I have watched a number of sports over the years. There always seems to be one uniting factor among parents; a seemingly universal dislike/distrust of game officials.

I wouldn’t be happy if someone always yelled at me or booed me when I make a mistake in one of my stories.

I always try to remember that game officials are just human beings doing their jobs, and they are not infallible, just like every other person on the planet.

Does that mean I always agree with calls I see at sporting events? Definitely not.

I cannot claim complete impartiality when it comes to a team in my coverage area playing one that’s not. I’m human, and it’s easier to write a story about “my” team winning than it is if they lose. It also makes for a better story, so why would I not root for teams in my area to win.

When both teams are in my area, though, I don’t care who wins or loses. I wouldn’t be doing my job correctly if I did.

I say all of that to show that I’m not completely unbiased to calls against teams I cover. Case in point, I covered the district championship game between the Russellville 12 and Under All-Stars and Muscle Shoals Thursday night. Did the calls seem to be a little one-sided against Russellville? Indeed they did.

Am I unbiased enough to make a completely rational decision as to whether the calls were one-sided? No.

J.R. Tidwell is sports editor for The Franklin County Times. He can be reached at (256) 332-1881, ext.