Providing a safe playing environment is paramount for all
associated with amateur athletics and professional sports. Sports
officials also must understand the legal reality: Failure to
enforce safety rules can result in head, neck or other injuries to
players leading to possible civil liability for the official.
Every state's civil law includes a duty to act with
reasonable and ordinary care and skill. For instance, in
California, Cal. Civ. Code §1714, sets forth the basic duty
that one is responsible for injuries to another resulting from
one's failure to exercise ordinary care or skill. Relevant
standards of care are found in industry regulation (American
Society for Testing and Materials, American National Standards
Institute, etc.); crash standards for automobiles; FDA hygiene and
sanitation standards, EPA clean water standards, etc. In sport,
proper play standards are rules.
