But yes, so big that the National Football League taught us all, unintended, a big lesson: Officials are a big deal. In every sport. Don’t forget this: There are only two groups of people that really matter in a game, the players and the officials. Oh yes, in a whole sport, all sorts of people play significant roles — but the game’s the thing that makes the sport, and everything else is ancillary.
The NFL’s Lesson: There’s No Replacing Good Refs : NPR
See also Bernie DeKoven on the contrasts between the culture of Sport and the culture of Play.