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We had a fan problem at a recent tournament (hosted by my club) that was compounded by the very behavior that Drakem references. This is decidely a poor habit as he admits. In my experience, it does nothing to help and probably worsens a bad situation.
Remember, referees must be impartial and focussed on the activities on the floor. While all of you should meet the former criteria, you can lose the appearance of impartiality when you begin to engage non-participants or behave in any manner which could lead one to believe you are not taking the game seriously. For the sake of the participants in the game (which is why we all do this in the end), you must maintain the proper appearance as well as the proper attitude.
Engaging the crowd by definition takes more of your focus from the action on the floor than any fan comments can. You begin to focus your mind on what is being said and how you are going to respond, raher than focussing on what's happening and what may happen next on the floor. You are already not reffing at your potential when you do this, because you are dedicating part of your conscious effort to activities away from the floor.
I guarantee you that I will speak to any player that I catch responding to the crowd rather than the game - it is as bad for them as it is for you. I want them to shut out the distractions and play ball, and I expect my referees to ignore the fans and ref, unless the conduct is so detrimental that they need to get someone out of there. In that case, I expect them to find cgame management, talk to the coaches, etc., handle the sitch and get back to reffing.
[Edited by Hawks Coach on Jan 4th, 2002 at 11:34 AM]
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