Wide receiver Golden Tate of the Seattle Seahawks makes a catch in the end zone to defeat the Green Bay Packers on a controversial call by the officials at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Sept. 24, 2012.
What you’ll need:
- Zebra-striped referee jersey
- Black pants
- An all-white hat
- Yellow flag
- Humongous spectacles
- Whistle, to be blown randomly
- A seemingly lacking knowledge of the game of football
If you look confused a lot or feel the world of Halloween costumes simply goes too quickly for you, then you can turn that dazed demeanor into the perfect costume. For the first three weeks of the NFL season all anyone could talk about was the ineptness of the replacement referees, pulled into NFL-paced duty from low-level college ranks because of a labor dispute. Some referees even made the leap straight from calling high school games. The speed and strength of the NFL game passed many by and they simply couldn’t make the right calls in a timely manner. Then came the straw, the “simultaneous” catch that gave the Seattle Seahawks the unlikeliest of wins over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. In the end zone, one referee signaled touchdown while another appeared to signal touchback (for an interception). Here’s how the costume can get a bit more fun. Bring a friend. Dress the same. And, at all times throughout the night, make conflicting calls. One signals touchdown, while another signals a touchback. Maybe you can opt for holding on the offense while your friend goes with pass interference on the defense. Hey, even bring along a coin and misidentify which side reads heads and tails.