After two seasons of collegiate soccer, the sport I’ve played for over fifteen years, I have come to a very drastic conclusion. Collegiate officials do not care about safety the same way that they did in high school, and I think that is a major perpetrator of the injuries we see today.
In high school and club, calls are sometimes missed, and fouls are occasionally ignored for the sake of letting the game play. However, safety was always of the utmost importance, and if a player’s safety was threatened, a foul was always given, and it was widely understood that safety was one of the most important pillars of the game.
In my junior year of high school, a fight broke out during a game, and it was handled with seriousness; the ref blew the whistle when the players began grabbing each other’s jerseys. Although the fight didn’t end until much later, players, coaches, parents, and officials understood the seriousness of what had happened.
This is impacted by the fact that collegiate sports are at a different level than high school and club, but I think it goes beyond that. I think that collegiate officials are more worried about making the right foul calls than anything else, because I have seen disastrous attempts on player safety throughout my three semesters at Beloit.
Sophia Dietz’29, Beloit Women’s Soccer goalkeeper, agrees. “There have been many instances on both the men’s and women’s teams, and they don’t care,” she said. “They make us play through situations that should’ve been called and many dangerous situations.”
Dietz has a personal connection to this issue — in the beginning five minutes of three of the conference games, she was hit without any repercussions from officials and now has a bruised rib because of it.
When discussing the attacks on Dietz, Zyana Turcious’28 added, “The ref saw her get stepped on, and admitted as much to me, yet chose to do nothing about it.”
Players on the men’s team have also been affected by the lax safety standards. Rafa Cervantes’25 was ignored on the field as well after hurting his ankle. As a spectator, I heard many parents also dismissing the issue, saying that he was faking it.
Although faking injuries might be an issue in sports, it does not negate the fact that spectators have little to no basis for if someone is faking or not. All players in the stadium should be worried for safety over a potential delay in the game, or a foul call.
Basketball season has just started up, but already basketball players are being faced with similar issues. Even in the scrimmage this past week, when players were hit, officials chose to keep the game moving.
The same thing happened last spring during lacrosse season, specifically in the game against UW-Stevens Point. Fouls were called consistently, but many calls that were for the safety of Beloit players were ignored throughout the evening. Maya DeGeorge’25 and Johanna McNair’25 were consistently injured throughout the offensive attack, and the officials paid no regard. Bruising and injuries were significant for all players, and although our next game was a win, you could tell the team was injured.
Collegiate sports are a different level of competition than anything experienced in high school. Athletes play the sport because they love it, and they will fight through injuries to continue to enjoy it. These injuries should be caused by missteps; a small accident or a weak muscle or bone that leads to rehab and getting back out on the field. Injuries should not be from an opponent hitting, hipchecking, or throwing an opponent to the ground. Athletes should be able to play their sport without fear of intentional injury by their opponents. Everyone should love the game, but officials need to draw the line. Safety of all participants should be of the utmost concern, because at the end of the day, D3 athletics is not forever. We have four years of sports, and then the rest of our lives in front of us. Players should be able to step on the field without fearing for their safety.
Featured image: Beloit College
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