[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by CMHCoachNRef

You are right concerning coach, parent and player bias, but when a new official is just getting started, they are going to make many more mistakes than when they are experienced. Therefore, I suggest that the newest officials are better off trying to block out the criticism than giving technical fouls every time they turn around.

You are right, we do not know exactly how the officials were attempting to address the conduct of the player discussed. From the author's view, it appears as though some of the player's actions were inappropriate. It appears as though the coach (keep in mind, I am NOT necessarily blaming the OFFICIALS here, but I am blaming the COACH based on what was written here) could have helped this young player develop and missed the opportunity.

One of the great aspects of life that sports teaches us is how to handle adversity. An unfair manager at work, a biased professor in school, an inaccurate accusation by a customer, an illness in the family (perhaps our own), the death of a friend/relative, etc. put us in a position in which we must learn to deal with the situation in a rational manner.

It seems as though this player was put in a position to have to deal with adversity. The coach appeared to have had an opportunity to help this youngster grow and chose to allow the player to act out his frustrations without the teaching element being introduced. Once again, we do not know what the coach said in the locker room after the game, but the coach gave the appearance of missing a teaching moment.

Coach, all I am saying this is not a moral issue. And whether a T was going to be given is not going to change the course of these kids’s history. I think we forget that this is a game, just a game. Officiating is like anything in life, when you start out doing something, you do not know what you are doing. You do not know what is acceptable other than what you bring to the table first. I have no doubt that the actions were unsportsmanlike, but that does not mean the people working the game were overwhelmed and probably a little scared. I just get tired of how we beat down officials at that level as if they were in the NBA. I work with a lot of younger officials and you would be surprised what they do not know and the mistakes they make. It might seem simple to us that have worked for years, but the things we take for granted, officials at that level are still green on and do not know unless we make an effort to tell them.

Peace