The only thing the NFL needs now is a Big Top and Roger Goodell in a tophat.

“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages ...”

The circus is in town and it’s called professional football.

Goodell and the NFL are making a mockery of the game, plain and simple, by the use of replacement referees.

It’s not just that these dudes in stripes are filling in for the regular refs who have had years and years and years of training. It’s the fact that these dudes in stripes are woefully unqualified for such a monumental task.

Most of these guys are Division III college refs. While I’m sure there are some fine officials at that level, the NFL is not small college football.

The game is infinitely faster, the players infinitely more skilled and physical.

The players are larger than life and are exerting their will on the officials.

After all, these guys (and a woman) were doing Mary Hardin-Baylor and Wisconsin Oshkosh games at this time last year.

Now they have to call a penalty on Ray Lewis.

Yeah, you try telling Ray Lewis he did something wrong.

The NFL has noticed the boarish behavior toward the officials by coaches and players and issued this statement/warning Thursday:

“We contacted them to remind them that everyone has a responsibility to respect the game,” NFL executive vice president Ray Anderson said. “We expect it to be adhered to this weekend and forevermore.”

You know it’s serious when the word “forevermore” is used.

But why should coaches and players respect the game? The NFL doesn’t.

If the league did, it would be trying much harder than it is to get the “real” refs back on the field.

The fact is, the NFL couldn’t care less about the state of officiating.

The main issue of the lockout is pensions: the refs want the same pension plan it has had for ions; the league wants to go to a 401(k)-style retirement plan.

The refs also want a bump up from the roughly $4,000-to-$8,000 per game they take home now.

Goodell and Jerry Jones and all of the other owners just shrug their shoulders and count their money. As long as people put their bums in the seats, these bums officiating games will still be out there.

The NFL wants to break the NFL Referees Association union and they may very well be successful.

I think the “real” refs are correct — they shouldn’t have to make concessions while working for an industry enjoying record profits — but at this point, I don’t care. I want it over.

I want three-hour games. I want the ball spotted correctly. I want pass interference called correctly (well, I won’t even get that if the “real” refs return).

And I want penalties called on Ray Lewis.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.