I've written before about the art of officiating, the training of officials, and the relationship between coaches and officials and its impact on the recruitment of new officials.

Today's New York Times takes a peek at broadcasters and officiating in Broadcasters Get a View of the Referee’s Life .

Oh, to be an N.B.A. referee. Your judgments are questioned, players and coaches scream at you, fans think the worst of you, sports radio hosts fillet you, and know-it-all broadcasters foment negativity with misguided opinions.

“Sometimes when you listen to the announcers,” said Joe Borgia, the league’s vice president for referee operations, “the perception becomes reality, and what they say, because they’re perceived as experts, hurts the credibility of officials.”

One quote I found interesting:

"Craig Bolerjack, who is in his fourth season as the television voice of the Jazz,
said he was happy to watch the N.B.A. open up about its referee review process."

Maybe it's just the NBA, but when I've approached officials and thier supervisors with respect and a true desire to learn, they've been more than open. All you have to do is ask.