Thread: Referee's job
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Old Mon Oct 02, 2000, 07:48pm
hoopsrefBC hoopsrefBC is offline
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Re: Making sure the better team wins

Quote:
Originally posted by Mark Padgett
Whenever someone is mentally unbalanced enough to ask me to speak at a clinic , I always ask the following multiple choice question: What is your job as a referee? Give me the best answer from the following: A) call the game consistantly according to the rules B) call the game equally for both sides C) call the game using the advantage/disadvantage theory or D) call the game so that the better team wins. Invariably, no one picks D, although that is the "correct" answer. Here's how I explain it to all the bewildered faces.

Despite what some people think, the purpose of the rules is not to level the playing field. Sport is a competition, and the players who have more skills and can adapt those skills to the game are supposed to be rewarded with victory. If you call the game consistantly according to the rules, if you call it equally for both sides and if you use the advantage/disadvantage theory, then the team that plays the best WILL win. That's your job - to make sure that happens, because the team that plays the best is SUPPOSED to win.

If you have a guard who is quick off the dribble, and you let a slower defender hold him "a little", you are penalizing the guard for being quick. Quick is supposed to beat slow. That's the reward. If you start feeling sorry for slower, smaller, less talented players and you compensate for that in your calls, then you - not the players - are determining the outcome of the game and THAT'S WRONG! (Same thing happens if you change the way you call at the end of a game - another pet peeve of mine) The team that hustles more, shoots better, defends better, rebounds better and adapts their coach's scheme better deserves to win, and if you do your job, they will, because in an evenly called game, those attributes will prevail.

That's what I mean by saying that your job is to see to it that the team that plays the best - wins.



Mark i agree with you...i was a little confused on your wording on your multiply chose 'd' "call the game so that the better team wins. This could mean to some people that you are pre judging the teams before you steped on the court. I thank you for clearing to up at the end of your thread when you say "because the team that plays the best is SUPPOSED to win.", i agree with that. My question to you is at what point of the game do you determine what team is playing better than the other? Especially in a tight game?

I reward good offensive and penalize bad offensive.
I reward good defensive and penalize bad defense.

ps. by the way, i would chose 'e' ALL OF THE ABOVE'
keep smiling
SH


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