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Long time reader, first time posting. I share this as a police officer of ten years that has been fortunate to officiate as well for six years.
There is an all too common set of circumstances in the posts that I have been reading and news articles pertaining to attacks (verbal and physical) on officials. I give this small tidbit of "officiating tactically" advice that I try to use each game.
As officials, we do a great job of officiating the game as we see it. We anticipate (within reason) the action on the court and with increasing experience, we can normally "expect" how the action will go. However, after the final whistle we digress into lemmings that often do not show the level headed calm that we show during four quarters of basketball. While assaults on the court before and during a game are thankfully a rare occurrence, assaults after the game are unfortunately becoming more and more common. That being said, here are a couple of things to think about that I try to remember after I have tucked my whistle in my shirt and headed towards the showers.
*Hustle. Try as hard as they might, a coach, fan, player, or parent can not provide a valid reason why there should ever be a discussion with an official after a game. So why even allow that individual to approach you. You hustle during the game, hustle after it as well. Get into whatever broom closet the school gives you and get out of sight. In the cases that I have unfortunately investigated in a law enforcement role, the common factor is emotion. After a cooling off period, even a screaming parent will lose their steam. So will we. Besides, can you think of a way to make an angry person look like a bigger moron than to allow them to stand and yell at a closed door?
*Patience. Short of a loved one going into labor, I really can't think of a reason why anyone needs to set a NASCAR record for changing and getting out of the building. For any number of reasons, take the time after the game to let the crowd and any would be "top story" candidates to thin and forget why they were even upset in the first place. Thankfully, fans have a very short attention span which is proved whenever you call something great their way (cheers) but then call it the exact same way 80 feet away (boos).
*Hindsight. If you know that the potential for bodily injury is there in any official vs angry fan WWE melee past incident, why commit the same mistakes and/or oversights others before you have made? If Bubba wants to "tune you up" for calling fouls on his his little prince, why even allow ourselves to be put into that situation?
And lastly -
*Position. We know that our heads have to be on a swivel the whole game but put on blinders as we run off the floor. If all else fails, do not turn your head on whatever aggressor you are faced with. Screaming banshees are inherently cowards and will jump at the first opportunity to "hit and run" we give them. If you can't get away, give yourself a chance and keep an eye on the problem child and or parent.
I apologize for the length but I am very much committed to making sure that no other fellow official is the lead story on the nightly news for getting attacked. In my time as a police officer I have had the opportunity to work in several rural counties where, simply by my profession, I was not liked. This was always compounded by the fact that the guy that just got out of the state police car is also officiating the most important game in the history of basketball (as we all know they always are). Ranchman made some admitted mistakes but I say that they are mistakes he (and us) will not soon forget. But the best thing to come out of this is the fact that with the exception of a little sting physically and to his pride, he went home in the same condition as when he arrived.
And in both of my professions, that is always a win and something that will never be sacrificed.
Cory.
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