Not only that (shortage) but coaches often ask for 4 officials instead of 5, because they claim they can't afford to pay a 5th (spoiler: they can.) So like anything else, the quality of the officiating goes down when you have 4, no matter how great the officials are; 4 officials have much more area to cover than a 5-man crew. With 5 officials, you don't get more flags, you get better quality flags, because the officials can focus better.
Want better quality? Write your coach, congresscritter, whoever, tell them to ask for 5 officials.
