Quote:
Originally posted by Jurassic Referee
Quote:
Originally posted by drinkeii
High school sports are, by definition, an extention of the classroom. Sportsmanship is a required part of those sports. I guess maybe some people just consider that kind of behavior appropriate. I don't - and I work in the classroom.
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That's quite a statement on sportsmanship from a coach who's already admitted that he's a whiner and complainer on the bench to the game officials.
Do you let the students in your classroom complain openly about your teaching too? Fair's fair, after all, in the wonderful world of sportsmanship.
Do as I say, not as I do?
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I stated that on one occasion, I complained. Normally, I accept the officials without a problem. This past season, there was one game, out of 18, that I felt it necessary to complain due to the complete ineptitude of the one official. One game where I complained is CERTAINLY not making me a whiner and complainer. And I feel I have a unique perspective, being both a coach and an official. When officials don't do their job, someone should complain - maybe not to the official, since many refuse to listen (even as a partner)... I complain mainly when the safety of my kids is at stake. I can think of one soccer game I coached 7 years ago, and one basketball game this year, where that became an issue. And in both cases, I was very close to pulling the team off the court/field to protect their safety, since the officials obviously weren't doing their job in this regard, considering the number of injuries which occurred in both games.
You sound like the other extreme - an official is right, no matter how wrong he is, and because you are an official in a game, you can't possibly, under any circumstances, ever make a bad call or the wrong call. And if you ever, god forbid, do, no one has the right to say anything to you, even if you know you're wrong. That is a very poor attitude.
As for complaining in the classroom, it is accepted - I often ask the students if they have a better suggestion for how to handle certain types of material. I'm honest and up front about some of it (guys, this is boring stuff - i know - lets just get through it). Screaming in the face of another student isn't. Screaming in my face wouldn't be. But I do listen to the students and their opinions on things, including my teaching. Far too many officials feel that they are perfect, and even if they screw up, they shouldn't have any kind of consequences for doing so. That attitude goes a long way toward making officials elitist, which is not a good thing.
No one's perfect. I know this. I expect people to give their best effort, or at least close to it. Everyone has a bad game every now and then. But not being willing to listen to constructive criticism is more of a fault than most officials would make it out to be.
[Edited by drinkeii on Jul 6th, 2005 at 11:24 AM]