Quote:
Originally Posted by chartrusepengui
Actually the hardest part was trying to NOT respond verbally and wondering just how far to go to physically protect yourself. We chose jumping chairs and basically running to center of court away from them as a better choice than physically defending ourselves. That was the first time since 1983 that anything like that has happened to me. FYI - it didn't happen in '83 - that is just when I started officiating.
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Avoiding confrontation is always the best choice as an official. I never respond to fans. A physical confrontation is the last thing any of us should want. You said you were wondering how far to go to physically protect yourself. For me, if someone comes at me swinging or grabs me, I'm going to put them down. I'm not taking a beating from anyone and nobody else should either. I'll do what it takes to neutralize an attacker so that I can get out of the area in one piece. We have had two incidents in my area in the past 5 or 6 years. One official was choked by a fan while leaving the floor and another was assaulted after the game in the dressing room by the father of a player from the losing team. Both of these were varsity games. I will always walk away as an official, but if somebody puts hands on us I think we have every right to protect ourselves.
Personally, I have never felt like I was in any kind of danger in the 9 years I have been doing this. I think it is a pretty rare a-hole that crosses the line into violence. Some of you guys have had really bad experiences that I am thankful I have been fortunate enough to miss out on.