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A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base. A common component of cult followings is the emotional attachment fans have with the object of the cult following, often identifying themselves and other fans as members of a community. Cult followings are also commonly associated with niche markets. Cult media are often associated with underground culture, and are considered too eccentric, bizarre, controversial or anti-establishment to be appreciated by the general public.

Many cult fans express a certain irony about their devotion. Sometimes, these cult followings cross the border to camp followings. Cult fans of director Ed Wood admire his films not because they consider them to be excellent, but because they are so bad that they become funny and curiously fascinating. The same phenomenon can be observed with things that are appreciated by a certain generation out of nostalgia or childhood memories. Fans may become involved in a subculture of fandom, either via conventions, online communities, or through activities such as writing series-related fiction, costume creation, replica prop and model building, or creating their own audio or video productions based around the formats and characters.^[1]

Examples[link]

There is not always a clear difference between cult and mainstream media. The film Pink Flamingos is known for its disgusting scenes, and only a small number of people are drawn to this movie. Therefore it can be classified as a cult movie. Franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Batman, Transformers, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show have core groups of fanatical followers but still attract mass audiences, so some (e.g. actor Bruce Campbell, see below), argue they cannot be considered true cult films. Professors Xavier Mendik and Ernest Mathijs, authors of 100 Cult Films, argue that the devoted following among these films make them cult classics.

Some cults are only popular within a certain subculture. The film Woodstock is especially loved within the hippie subculture. A Clockwork Orange has a cult following of punks, skinheads and other groups. Certain mainstream icons can become cult icons in a different context for certain people. Reefer Madness was originally intended to warn youth against the use of marijuana, but due to its ridiculous plot and cheap look, it is now often watched by audiences consisting of marijuana-smokers and has gained a cult following.^[2]

Actor Bruce Campbell (he himself called "The King of B-Movies", and maintaining a dedicated cult following for films such as The Evil Dead) once contrasted "mainstream films" and "cult films" by defining the former as "a film that 1,000 people watch 100 times" and the latter as "a film that 100 people watch 1,000 times".

Quentin Tarantino's films borrow stylistically from classic cult movies, but are appreciated by a large audience, and therefore lie somewhere between cult and mainstream. Certain cult phenomena can grow to such proportions that they become mainstream.

It often takes a few years before a cult starts to form around a particular film or band. Captain Beefheart's album Trout Mask Replica, Jim Carrey's film The Cable Guy and the TV series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show were originally not very successful, but as time went by built up a cult following. In some cases this cult status is unexpected, like the Disney film Fantasia (1940), which was a flop at its release, but was re-appreciated by fans of psychedelica in the 1960s. Some films, especially from within the science fiction and horror genres, were produced with the specific goal of achieving cult status, like the drug oriented movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and most films by Terry Gilliam.^[3][3] Other examples which fall into the category of "intentional cult film" are Repo Man (1984), The Toxic Avenger (1984), the sequence of The Evil Dead horror films beginning in 1981, and Brazil (1985).

Many cancelled television shows (especially ones that had a short run life) see new life in a fan following. One notable example is Invader Zim, an animated show that aired for 2 seasons on Nickelodeon before being cancelled. The series enjoys a good life on DVD, and many specialty stores such as Hot Topic sell clothing and merchandise associated with it. Another examples are Roswell and Joan Of Arcadia, which had short life, but a large fan base until now. Long-running TV series such as The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Chuck and Lost also have huge cult followings.

In a BBC review of Farscape episode "Throne for a Loss", Richard Manning, the review writer said "­Farscape is now officially a cult series because it's being shown out of sequence." The episode in question was actually shown as the second episode, after the premiere; despite originally being intended as the fifth episode to be shown.^[4]

Anime, manga, kung fu films and kaiju are mainstream entertainment in Japan, but elsewhere are generally appreciated by a cult audience. Doctor Who is a prime time family show in Great Britain, but during a 15-year period out of production, gained cult status among fans; it is also a cult series in the US. Also, the animated pre-school show Pocoyo has attracted a reasonably large cult following among viewers older than its target audience due to the show's humour and its narrator, Stephen Fry.^{[citation needed]}

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is a flash-based animated cartoon for young girls and their parents, that has gained one of the larger cult followings^{[dubious – discuss][citation needed]} and became a prime example when it came to using the Internet, in late 2010, early 2011. The cartoon was created by Lauren Faust, who also worked with The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, as originally made to be an attempt to revive the Hasbro franchise. Despite the target demographic being young girls, It has gained a huge cult following on the internet by older viewers, predominately teenagers and adults, who call themselves "bronies", after an internet board was posted from 4chan before the show's debut in the United States. Reasons for this unintended appreciation include Faust's creative contribution to the writing and characterization, the expressive Flash-based animation style, themes that older audiences can appreciate such as the show following the concept to some older cartoons from the late 20th century, and a reciprocal relationship between Hasbro, the creators, and the fans. Elements from the show are used to create various Internet memes to make up for the show's canon.

See also[link]

• Cult films
• Cult video game
• Otaku
• Sleeper hit
• Underground music

Further reading[link]

• Lathrop, Tad and Wayne Jancik, Cult Rockers: 150 of the most controversial, distinctive and intriguing, outrageous and championed rock musicians of all time (Pocket Books, 1996)
• Adam Gibson's anecdotal evidence

References[link]

This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (April 2009)

John Edward Bean (born 7 June 1927, Carshalton, Surrey^[1]) is a long-standing participant in the British far right, who has been active within a number of movements during the course of his life and is the voice behind the BNP election broadcasts.^{[citation needed]}

Early life[link]

At the age of 13 he suffered the trauma of being bombed out with his family living in Blackfen, Sidcup, February 1941. Bean briefly flirted with Communism whilst at school, calling for support of the Soviet Union.^[2] His initial fervour soon faded and by the time he began his National service in 1945, Bean was largely apolitical. Initially he was a trainee navigator in RAF Volunteer Reserve and later as a sailor in the Royal Navy. Bean became a radar mechanic and was placed on HMS Bulawayo a fleet supply ship which made several visits to Trinidad until the finish of his naval service in June 1948. He briefly lived in India during 1950 to work as a chemist in a paint factory, although he failed to settle and returned to Britain six months later.^[3]

Politics[link]

Union Movement[link]

Upon his return, Bean began to attend meetings of the Union Movement, being attracted by the Europe a Nation policy and by the time Oswald Mosley had spent in prison for his beliefs.^[4] Bean initially served as a member of the Special Propaganda Service, the main duty of which was to sell copies of the party's newspaper Union.^[5] Soon however he became a leading figure active on behalf of the UM in the East End of London, before being appointed to head up a branch in Putney in 1952.^[6] Despite these advancements, Bean grew disillusioned of the UM's chances of making any real headway and he left them altogether in February 1953. A brief stop-over in the local Conservative Party in Barnes that followed lasted only two months.^[7]

National Labour Party and BNP[link]

After a spell on the sidelines he then linked up with Andrew Fountaine, who had been attempting to form his own party, the National Front, and began to produce a journal, National Unity.^[8] His work attracted the attention of A. K. Chesterton and, with the National Front idea failing to get off the ground, he decided to join the League of Empire Loyalists, serving as Northern Organiser and then in the HQ in London. Continuing to produce his paper, now called The Loyalist, Bean soon became frustrated at both the lack of political activity and the links to the Conservative Party that were the hallmarks of the LEL and so left in 1957 to set up the National Labour Party with Fountaine.^[9]

The NLP gained a few minor results in elections, but was always destined to be a small fringe movement, and as a result Bean decided to merge his party with another LEL splinter group, the White Defence League in 1960 to form the British National Party. Initially gaining some support in London, the party soon ran into trouble when it became clear that Colin Jordan was emerging as its spokesman. A journalist commented in 1962 that Jordan was becoming the British Adolf Hitler, Bean jokingly responded to the Daily Mail reporter that that made him "the British Joseph Goebbels". Despite this, Bean, soon clashed with Jordan over his extremism and before long Jordan had left to form the National Socialist Movement, taking emerging figures John Tyndall and Denis Pirie with him. Bean had blamed the associations with Nazism that Jordan and Tyndall brought on the party's marginal position in British politics.^[10]

At the 1964 general election Bean stood as BNP candidate in Southall and obtained 3,410 votes (9.3%) which was the highest post-war vote for a minority party at that time.^[11] Another BNP candidate picked up nearly 2,000 votes in Deptford. In 1966 he again stood in Southall but his vote fell to 2,600. With BNP membership only marginally increasing, Bean felt the need to try and create a nationalist front with like groups and arranged, with the help of Ted Budden, a private meeting with his old mentor A.K. Chesterton and a spokesman of the Racial Preservation Society.^[12] The result of the meeting was the founding of the National Front in 1967.

NF and political retirement[link]

Bean became something of a peripheral figure in the NF, as the BNP element was somewhat sidelined. He held the post of Deputy Chairman of the Executive Directorate, a body which was largely subordinate to the Policy Directorate, and stood as second candidate for the Ealing constituency in the 1967 Greater London Council elections until resigning in 1968. Still an NF member, he was recalled to positions of minor influence from time to time until 1972 when he largely ceased active involvement.^[13] Retreating into political retirement, his membership lapsed in 1977 and he emerged only briefly to lend some support to his old friend Andrew Fountaine's Constitutional Movement^[14] and to take part in the Countryside Alliance march of 1 March 1998.^[15] During this period he wrote two books. Ten Miles From AnywhereHedgerow Publishing 1995, looked at the changes in a Suffolk village from the beginning of the 20th century. Many Shades of Black, New Millennium 1999, was Bean's political memoires up to that date.

Bean in the BNP[link]

Bean eventually ended his retirement after the political fall of John Tyndall and joined the British National Party under the leadership of Nick Griffin. He became an active official of the BNP (mostly in administration) and was a candidate for the party in the 2004 European elections, where he was seventh on a list of seven candidates for the Scotland constituency. He formerly ran his own website, but then wrote a regular column for the main BNP website, and served as editor of BNP magazine Identity until March 2010.

Due to dissatisfaction with his leadership, John Bean has demanded that Nick Griffin resign as National Chairman and focus more on the North West region.^[16]

In May 2011, as a respected party elder and intellectual, he endorsed Andrew Brons (the BNP MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber).^[17] He made significant contributions to the Brons team web site, including articles on Genetics and Inheritance and Nationalism and a European Confederation.^[18]

Elections contested[link]

UK Parliament elections

Greater London Council elections

European Parliament elections

References[link]

External links[link]

• "John Beans Nationalist Notebook". Archived from the original on 2006-01-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20060111150658/http://www.bnp.org.uk/columnists/notebook1.php. 
• Archive (archive.org) of now-defunct "John Beanstalk" website, retrieved 9 March 2005

Doug Martsch

Doug Martsch (born 1969) is an American musician. A native of Boise, Idaho, Martsch is best known for his distinctive vocals and guitar style in the band Built to Spill. He has also worked with Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening in The Halo Benders. Martsch's first band was Farm Days, with Andy Capps and Brett Nelson in the early 80's. His second band was Treepeople, with whom he released three albums and two EPs. Martsch has been the lead of Built to Spill since 1992.

With Built to Spill, Martsch developed a reputation as a preeminent indie rock guitarist. Martsch's guitar style blends rock, pop, blues and folk. His influences include J Mascis, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Caustic Resin, Mississippi Fred McDowell, David Bowie, and Neil Young.^[1]

In 2002, he released his first solo album, Now You Know, to critical acclaim.

Martsch is a vegetarian.^[2] He is married to Karena Youtz, the sister of former Built to Spill member Ralf Youtz.

In 2011, Martsch contributed to a tribute album to The Smiths entitled "Please, please, please... " with a cover of Reel Around The Fountain.

References[link]

1. ^ Allmusic profile of Built to Spill
2. ^ The 2008 World's Sexiest Vegetarians Are… // Out There // peta2

External links[link]

• Ear Candy EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Doug Martsch at SeattlePI.com, November 10, 2006
• Martsch interview at CityPages.com, September 6, 2006
• Extensive interview with Martsch on public radio program/podcast The Sound of Young America, June 17, 2006
• "Martsch Is GOD": An Interview With Doug Martsch at PopMatters.com, October 15, 2002
• Short review of album Doug played and sang on with Boise Cover Band

This article about a United States rock singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article on a United States rock guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Ed Hochuli
Born	(1950-12-25) December 25, 1950 (age 61) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nationality	United States
Occupation	NFL official (1990–Present) Attorney (Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C.) (1983–Present)
Children	Six children
Website
http://www.jshfirm.com

Edward G. Hochuli^[1] (born December 25, 1950)^[2] is an attorney for the firm of Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C. since 1983, and has been an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the 1990 NFL season. His uniform number is 85. Prior to his officiating career, he played college football for four seasons at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

Hochuli is one of the most respected officials in the NFL, having worked numerous playoff games, including two Super Bowls. He is also known for his athletic physique^[3] and explanations on the football field.^[4] In a poll conducted by ESPN in 2008, Hochuli tied referee Mike Carey for "best referee" votes among NFL head coaches with eight.^[5] Beginning his twenty-second season in the league and twentieth as referee (crew chief) with the 2011 NFL season, Hochuli's officiating crew consists of umpire Rich Hall, head linesman Mark Hittner, line judge Adrian Hill, field judge Craig Wrolstad, side judge Ronald Torbert and back judge Don Carey.^[6]

Personal[link]

Early life[link]

Hochuli was born on December 25, 1950 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and lived there until age eight before his family moved to Tucson, Arizona.^[7] He was the second child born out of a total of six siblings.^[8] During his childhood, he attended and later graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley, Arizona in 1969.^[9][10] During his high school years, he had an interest in sports as he participated in football (earning all-state honors twice), basketball, wrestling, and track.^[9] He attributes his competitive nature to having an older brother, Chip Hochuli.^[8] Ed Hochuli told Referee in a 2004 interview, "I was somebody who wanted to be good and I wanted my brother to be proud of me, and I wanted my parents to be proud of me."^[8] Following high school, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from UTEP in 1972.^[1] While at UTEP, Hochuli played linebacker on the school's football team from 1969 to 1972.^[3] As a football player, he earned All-Western Athletic Conference academic honors in 1972.^[9] His father, Walter Hochuli, was involved with law as a wills and estate planner, which influenced Ed Hochuli to pursue a career in law.^[7] He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona Law School in 1976.^[1] While in law school, Hochuli served as a law clerk for two years under United States District Judge Carl Muecke.^[7] Upon completion of his education, Hochuli was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona.^[1]

Family[link]

Hochuli resides in the Phoenix metropolitan area.^[9] He has a total of six children and ten grandchildren.^[2] He and his wife Cathie reside in Arizona.^[8] Of the six kids, Shawn Hochuli played college football at Pomona College^[11] and is following his father's profession as an official, currently working college football,^[12] Arena Football League,^[13] and arenafootball2 games^[14] - on August 13, 2011, a day after his father refereed a preseason game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, Shawn was head referee for ArenaBowl XXIV between the Jacksonville Sharks and Arizona Rattlers. Scott Hochuli owns Hochuli Construction Team L.L.C., a company that specializes in residential construction in the Phoenix area.^[15] Two of Ed Hochuli's brothers are in law.

Attorney[link]

Hochuli is a trial lawyer^[16] and a partner in the Arizona law firm of Jones, Skelton and Hochuli, P.L.C. since it was founded in 1983.^[1] The firm started with five partners and seven associates, and has expanded to over eighty attorneys.^[7] Hochuli specializes in civil litigation in the areas of Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability, Complex Litigation, Insurance Coverage and Fraud, Legal Malpractice and Professional Liability, Product Liability Defense, Trucking and Transportation Industry Defense, and Wrongful Death and Personal Injury Defense,^[1] and claims to be involved in two hundred cases at any time.^[7] Hochuli finds interest in trying cases, calling it an "adrenaline rush" and adding, "You love that challenge -- the competition, if you will -- of it. It's a game. It's obviously a very important game to people, and I don't mean to diminish the importance of it. ... You have to follow these rules, and there's a win-or-lose outcome. You're on a stage."^[17]

He is admitted to practice in Arizona state and federal courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.^[1] His recognition as an attorney includes being named Best Lawyers in America since 2003 and Southwest Super Lawyers in 2007.^[1] Super Lawyers includes only the top five percent of lawyers in a state based on point totals, as chosen by peers and through independent research by Law & Politics.^[18]

Comparing his law and officiating professions, he says "A trial is nothing, pressure-wise, compared to the NFL. … I have that long [snaps his fingers] to make a decision with a million people watching and second-guessing (by video) in slow-motion. You've got to be right or wrong. I love the satisfaction when you are right — and the agony when you are wrong."^[19] Hochuli finds similarities between the football field and courtroom saying, "On the football field, people like that I'm in charge and know what I'm doing, but a lot of the time, it's just appearance. I'm going to sell you on my decision. It's the same in the courtroom. You don't stand in front of a jury and say, 'I think my client is innocent.' You say, 'We're right!'"^[7]

Officiating career[link]

Early years[link]

Hochuli began officiating Pop Warner football games as a law student to earn additional income,^[10] which was suggested by one of his former high school coaches^[8] as "a way to stay in touch with the game".^[7] His interest in officiating carried over into baseball, where he was a Little League Baseball umpire from 1970 to 1973.^[9] Progressing to the high school level in 1973, he focused on football, and officiated games in the Tucson area until 1985.^[9] In addition to high school officiating, he worked college football games for the Big Sky Conference and Pacific-10 Conference as a line judge during the 1980s.^[9]

NFL career[link]

Rise to refereedom[link]

Hochuli was hired by the NFL in 1990 as a back judge^[10] after applying to the league before the 1989 NFL season.^[8] His first game in the league was on August 11, 1990 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.^[2] During his first two years in the league, he was assigned to the officiating crew headed by referee Howard Roe.^[20] To gain additional experience as a back judge and eventually a referee, Hochuli participated in the NFL's partnership with the World League of American Football (WLAF), a spring developmental league, in 1991 and 1992.^[9] Utilizing his experience in the WLAF, as well as the organization, precision, and analytical skills he learned while working under Roe's guidance, Hochuli desired to become a crew chief in the NFL.^[8] He was promoted to referee in 1992^[10] when longtime referee Stan Kemp was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease and forced to retire.^[8] Hochuli had worked a pre-season game that year in Tokyo, Japan as a back judge when he received a telephone call following the game from then-Senior Director of Officiating, Jerry Seeman.^[8] Seeman asked Hochuli to work as referee for the first time when the Denver Broncos hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in a pre-season game.^[2][8]

Since becoming a referee, Hochuli headed the officiating crews for Super Bowl XXXII^[21] and Super Bowl XXXVIII,^[22] and he was selected as an alternate for Super Bowl XXXI,^[23] Super Bowl XXXVII,^[21] and Super Bowl XXXIX.^[24] In addition to working two Super Bowls, he has officiated five conference championship games as of the start of the 2007 NFL season.^[25] Every officiating game performance is graded by the league each week.^[26] These grades determine which officials are assigned playoff games, as well as the Super Bowl.^[26] Hochuli credits his mentor, Jerry Markbreit, a four-time Super Bowl referee, as the greatest influence on his career.^[27]

Officials' strike[link]

Hochuli has served as the head of the NFL Referees Association, the union which represents NFL game officials.^[28] The union was responsible for negotiating a new contract for the officials prior to the 2001 NFL season.^[29] At the time, salaries ranged from a first-year official earning US$1,431 a game to a veteran official with twenty years of experience making $4,330 a game.^[30] Officials were looking for a 400 percent increase in salary while the league was offering just 40 percent.^[31] During the negotiations, Hochuli believed the issue in finding a resolution was to convince the league that officials are full-time employees.^[29]

At the start of the season, officials had rejected a league offer of a sixty percent immediate increase in salary, followed by an eighty-five percent salary increase in 2002, and a one-hundred percent increase in 2003.^[32] For the first time in league history, replacement officials were used during the regular season.^[32] Hochuli had distributed an e-mail to 1,200 potential replacement officials warning them that "Working as a scab will actually hurt and likely kill any chances you would have of ever getting into the NFL."^[33] He later regretted sending the letter to college football officials across the United States.^[8] The stalemate between the union and the league ended on September 19, 2001, when officials agreed to a six-year deal from the league with an immediate increase in salary of 50 percent with a raise each year.^[34] Officials had been locked out since the final week of pre-season games that year and returned to work on September 23, 2001 when the league resumed games following the September 11, 2001 attacks.^[34]

Notable games[link]

Hochuli has worked memorable games throughout his career. In his second year as referee, he worked the 1993 Thanksgiving Day game between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins in Irving, Texas.^[8] During the final moments of the game, Miami placekicker Pete Stoyanovich had a field goal attempt blocked.^[8] The Cowboys' Leon Lett inadvertently touched the loose ball before the Dolphins' Jeff Dellenbach pounced on it.^[8] At the time, Hochuli had "no idea" what happened during the play and had to confer with three other officials to piece together the sequence of events.^[2] With the information gathered from the officials, he ruled that Miami retained possession of the football.^[2]

On October 2, 2005, he officiated the first regular season NFL game played outside the United States when the Arizona Cardinals played the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City, Mexico^[35] as part of the league's "Fútbol Americano" marketing campaign. On the first penalty announcement of the game, Hochuli gave the explanation in Spanish to pay respect to the host city and country.^[35]

He was the referee for the game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, played December 17, 2006, that included Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre becoming the all-time leader for pass completions among quarterbacks in the NFL.^[36] Favre was unaware that his 4,968 pass completions were a record until he was informed during the game by Hochuli.^[36] Hochuli was the referee again for another Favre record-breaking moment when Favre threw his 421st touchdown pass of his career on September 30, 2007 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to break the record previously held by Dan Marino.^[37][38]

One of Hochuli's notable explanations came during a 2007 regular season game between the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. While nullifying a holding infraction, he announced through his microphone, "There was no foul on the play. It was not a hold. The defender was just overpowered."^[19]

Controversial calls[link]

On September 14, 2008, Hochuli officiated a now-infamous game between the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos, which become notable for a highly controversial call near the end of regulation play.^[39] The call came with 1:17 left in the game, while Denver was in possession of the ball at the San Diego one-yard line, trailing the Chargers by seven points. On a second-down play, Denver quarterback Jay Cutler fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins. Ed Hochuli blew his whistle during the play, signaling that the play was dead and ruling an incomplete pass. Hochuli admitted his mistake and spotted the ball at the point of the fumble, but could not award possession to San Diego, and the play was not reviewable under then-current instant replay rules.^[39] Chargers head coach Norv Turner later said after the game, "Ed came over to me and said he blew it. And that to me is not acceptable."^[40] Hochuli responded to the situation, writing, "Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling. Officials strive for perfection – I failed miserably." ^[41] Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was even fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing Hochuli.^[42] The NFL passed a rule the following offseason allowing such plays to be reviewable under the instant replay rule for the 2009 NFL season.^[43] Speaking to Referee in November 2009, Hochuli told the magazine, "It was really an easy play. I’ve thought many times why I did what I did. The best explanation is it was almost like dyslexia. I realized it was a fumble and did the wrong thing. I realized I was wrong but there was nothing I could do about it."^[44]

On December 5, 2010 at Ford Field in Detroit, Hochuli made a controversial call during a game between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions. It came in the fourth quarter with 9:06 left, while the Bears had the ball at the Lions' 22-yard line, trailing 20-17. On first down, Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler scrambled for an 8-yard gain to the 14, where he was hit by Detroit defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, who applied a hard, two-handed shove to the upper back.^[45] The referee then flagged Suh for unnecessary roughness, ruling that Suh delivered an illegal forearm, "an unnecessary non-football act".^[45][46] The Bears would then score the winning touchdown one play later. After the game, Lions coach Jim Schwartz disagreed with the call, questioning what else Suh could have done differently.^[45][46] Several Detroit players also disagreed with the call, with receiver Calvin Johnson saying that Suh "didn’t go to the elbow. It’s obviously a push, a push down."^[46] Former NFL Vice President of Officiating and current Fox Sports analyst Mike Pereira wrote that, "It's a judgment call and one you have to live with. Player safety is [currently] a huge issue, and there will continue to be an emphasis by the officials to protect all players."^[47] Rich McKay, President of the Atlanta Falcons and co-chairman of the NFL Competition Committee, acknowledged that, "At full speed, you can see where (Hochuli) saw at least what he saw ... Player safety is always going to be at the forefront (for) these officials. I'm not one that's going to sit here and say right call or wrong call ... And what Ed Hochuli saw and what he called ... he thought he saw it, and he called it that way."^[45] The league fined Suh $15,000 for the hit, although he appealed that decision.^[45]

Celebrity[link]

Hochuli's presence on the football field has created a cult following.^[19] His rise in popularity is believed to have been started by Phil Simms, a former NFL quarterback and current color commentator for the NFL on CBS, who made reference to the size of Hochuli's arms during a telecast.^[48] On the Internet, websites that sell Hochuli merchandise as well as blogs with his namesake exist.^[19] He is often affectionately referred to as "Hochules", a combination of his last name and "Hercules", in homage to his large biceps. While he is aware of his celebrity status, Hochuli does not understand it. He said in a USA Today interview, "I get a kick out of the notoriety, because I'm just a referee. I'm not the players. The players are the game. They're what this is all about. I get notoriety because I explain things, and I get notoriety because I have a decent physique, which is funny because I'm a shrimp, a peewee compared to those players. Neither one of those things has anything to do with whether I'm a good referee."^[19] His recognition stems to the streets, in airports, and in the courtroom.^[10] He has been approached by notable athletes such as former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Charles Barkley at the airport.^[49] "It never ceases to amaze me," Hochuli told the Arizona Daily Star. "The number of people that will just come up to me and recognize me."^[10] He appreciates the attention, saying, "I enjoy the fact that there are people who like me as a referee. I hear from a lot of people and I enjoy that. Like anybody, I like praise. Probably because of my personality, I thrive on that more than other people."^[8]

Hochuli's career as an NFL official has been chronicled on the NFL Network's Six Days to Sunday in 2005.^[50] The half-hour television program detailed the game preparations that Hochuli goes through from Monday to Saturday during the season. This preparation work includes fifteen hours of video tape game review, a "couple hours" completing administrative tasks for the NFL, reading the rulebook, taking a weekly written exam on rules, and communicating with league supervisors.^[28]

Hochuli's celebrity status off the field includes being mentioned on the "Top Ten List" during the January 29, 2002 edition of the Late Show with David Letterman.^[51] His likeness appears in the Madden NFL video game franchise^[52] starting with Madden NFL 06.^[53]

References[link]