Quote:
Originally Posted by HokiePaul
I would respectfully disagree here. In game, or loudly in public I totally agree, but if someone wants to approach me politely and quietly after a game because they are trying to understand a rule, I think that's great. Too many fans/coaches think they know the rules and make no effort to correctly understand them. To dismiss those who do want to correctly understand them, in my opinion, does a disservice to other officials by fueling the stereotype that officials are arrogant and full of themselves.
My response to a spectator with a legitimate question after the game would be similar to my response to a coach during the game - short and polite. For example, "I don't remember that play in particular, but if it happened as you describe it, you would be correct". Or "If it happened like that, you would be correct, but I saw the play differently."
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The problem is one of hope vs. experience. As Bob noted, 99% of the time, the intent isn't to learn but to berate (even subtly). To avoid the 99%, we lose out on the 1%. I'm ok with that.
I've been known to engage some fans, but my radar is up, and I wouldn't recommend it to officials without significant experience reading fans.