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Originally Posted by bas2456
Coming to the end of the regular seasons here in Illinois. I was thinking about next year's POE's. Honestly, the number 1 thing I'd like to see has nothing to do directly with us on the court at all.
It seems like everyday I read a different article from a different newspaper in a different state about officials' shortages, and not just in basketball. I hear it every night in a different gym in a different community.
What I'd like to see from the NFHS is a directive to schools to patrol the bleachers better and really enforce that "sportsmanship code" or whatever gets read before the game.
I say this not because I'm thin-skinned and can't take the verbal abuse. If it bothered me I would have given it up years ago. I say it because 80% of new officials quit after two years because of the abuse. I say it because I read an article somewhere that last season there were 14 basketball officials in the state of Illinois age 30 or younger (I was 30 all of last basketball season). 14!!! From Chicago to Carbondale!
Something's got to change. Probably a pipe dream, but perhaps it would help retain more newer officials.
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You make an important point. You’re observation is correct that while there have been well meaning people doing a handful of things to improve things there has been no improvement.
Publishing articles is fine but it’s hard to argue that they’ve changed things as there is no way to measure the effect they’ve had. There simply needs to be consequences for a fan that acts badly. Just getting kicked out of a game isn’t enough. I know of one school district whose policy is that if a fan gets kicked out of a game they will not be allowed to attend any school function for one year. They actually enforced it once on a grandparent who as a result of being kicked out of a game not only could not go to games but missed their grandchild’s graduation. But they haven’t had any problems since. Some form of this type of thing needs to be considered by every school district or perhaps even state associations.
The NFHS formed a Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to address concussions and injury situations. They need to form the NFHS Sportsmanship Advisory Committee to do the same thing with fan behavior. Rules education for fans and coaches, education of AD’s and school administrators on spotting and addressing problems and hiring only security personnel for games that have actual arresting authority are some other things to talk about.