Under the Microscope ... All the Time

On Thursday, The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Clippers in all facets of the game in route to their 105-94 victory. The night however, will unfortunately be remembered for something completely different. Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul was T’d up by rookie referee Lauren Holtkamp. Here’s what Paul had to say about the decision afterwards:  "The tech that I get right there was ridiculous. I don't care what nobody says, I don't care what she says; that's terrible. There's no way that can be a tech. We try to get the ball out fast every time down the court, and when we did that, she said, 'Uh-uh.' I said, 'Why, uh-uh?' And she gave me a tech.That's ridiculous. If that's the case, this might not be for her." What ensued from the comments was a social media frenzy, media ripping of a man who let’s not forget is the head of the players union as well. ESPN’s headline after the comments was “Chris Paul rips female rookie ref.” In the day and age where everything an athlete says goes under the microscope, this is probably the worst situation. Was Paul right in criticizing the official? Absolutely not, he’ll probably get a hefty fine from the league. But to go and put a label on the man and say the referees gender was a factor is crossing the line. Truth of the matter is, male referees receive the same treatment and Paul’s opinion on her decision making on the court had nothing to do with her gender. Let us not try to make a meal of something when clearly there is nothing going on.