Fresno State professor refereed in the Olympics

One of your professors at Fresno State could be someone who has participated in the Olympics.  

Brigham Beatie, or Brig to his friends, teaches in the Kinesiology Department. Beatie is a beach volleyball referee who has gone to the Olympic Games twice.  

As a student at Fresno State, Beatie played club volleyball and started refereeing to pay for his schooling.

“I was striving from the very first time I started reffing,” Beatie said. “I saw people reffing in the Olympics. I thought, ‘Whoa! Could I possibly do that if I could keep doing this?'”

Another Fresno State alum, refereeing coordinator Brad Showalter, got Beatie interested in referring.

“Reffing with him in high school and college ranks was something. We really enjoyed that camaraderie, and when we get that opportunity, it brings us back,” said Showalter.

Beatie refereed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and he says the experience was unusual because of the lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 Paris Olympics was Beatie’s first real experience with the fans.

“The Olympic experience in Paris was quite spectacular with all of the people. It was crazy, and it was incredibly fun,” said Beatie.

The beach volleyball venue in Paris where Beatie worked was near the historic Eifle Tower.

 “It was fantastic. So iconic. The backdrop of the Eiffel Tower is amazing, and me getting to work night matches and seeing it light up was pretty cool,” said Beatie.

Beatie teaches the history of the Olympics at Fresno State.

“It adds a lot to the class, being able to come back and tell the students like, ‘Hey this is what it is like.’ And living the experience than researching about it,” Beatie said.

Beatie said he plans to referee at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.