We had a meeting of our local kids rec league Board last night. We adopted a new policy that I think will be very helpful. Each team plays 12 games in the season (one per week). If a coach (HC or AC) gets an unsportsmanlike T during any game, the official reports it to the league after the game. If that coach gets a second one at any other time, the coach will get a written warning and if he or she gets a third one at any time, it's a suspension for the rest of the season and they also must appeal to the Board the following year if they want to come back and coach.
It may seem rather draconian, but with all the very young HS refs we have, we feel we need to "protect" them, plus we have made sportsmanship our number one POE for next season. Just so we have a "good feel" for how the Ts are administered, at least one Board member is present at every game. If they feel the T was not deserved, the Board will then take that into consideration. There's even another Board member at the games I ref - not that any of them would contradict me, of course.
BTW - Board members have the authority to eject spectators - and, unfortunately - that is happening more and more the past few seasons.
Comments?
BTW - for the past 10 years, any profanity by a coach or player is an automatic flagrant T. Our league starts at 3rd grade and the only exception to it automatically being a flagrant is at the HS level, where the ref has some discretion. I had a kid miss an easy layup and mutter "damn", so I just called the T without it being flagrant.