|
The term or idea of "taking over" a game indicates that you have to control what is happening. That attitude will clash with players, coaches, and fans on occasion, which will generate a lot of negative emotion. That is just bad for the game, period.
There are times when the game gets messy, and calls need to be made to set the expectation that basketball needs to be played and some kind of flow established. More often than not, when the most aggressive players go to the bench with foul trouble, the game miraculously cleans up.
The worst thing that can occur in a messy part of the game is to overcall. The game got a little messy for a reason. Players got hyped up. Some non-calls or passes got players upset, emotional, or gave them the impression that they could get away with aggressive play. To fix that, strategic calls must be made to show everyone what the expectations are.
The biggest mistake less experienced officials make is to blow a whistle that doesn't need to be blown, because that cannot be fixed. Your partners cannot help in that situation. And if a crew or officials starts overcalling to "take over" a messy game, that does very little to reset or reinforce the expectations of what is acceptable. It makes the crew look inconsistent. And a large majority of the time, if the aggressors or disruptive players remain in the game, the game stays messy, flow is not established, and everyobody gets frustrated--officials included.
Officials are there to manage the game, to make sure that players and teams do not get an unfair advantage. I may tighten up on aggressive players to help the flow of the game, but never do I think about "taking over". That's when disasters start.
|