Female Officials Officiating Boys Basketball
 

How many of you have seen female officials officiating varsity boys basketball? I ask because this season in Minnesota we had history made as the 1st female official worked the boys state tournament. And FWIW this official is one of the best officials in the state and prior to this season had worked several girls tournaments in a row and IIRC that included a couple of finals.

The NCAA Women's Division 1 East region Observer officiated boys games in my High School Association when I first started officiating. In fact she officiated Division 1 men's basketball one year for one mid major.

However, her top protégé quit officiating high school basketball because she wasn't allowed to work boys basketball.

I believe in the past women have officiated in the state tournament on the boys side here in Virginia. However this year I know for a fact no women officiated boys games in the state tournament.

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I see it occasionally. Almost always during the regular season. I think I've seen it once during the playoffs.

This is a sticky subject. That said, I can't speak for the VHSL state tournament this year because I didn't go. Locally, there have been only 2-3 women working boys varsity games in the last couple of years, and only a few games per season at that. This is a little disappointing to me, to be honest. I think more have the desire and ability; our board has a healthy number of female officials (I don't know the percentage but overall I think it's about 10%).

That said, I also have to think of this from the mindset of the assignor. Some obstacles will always be there....athleticism, poise, conviction to handle the ever-present sexism of some coaches, etc. Some women (many of them good officials) leave before they advance to varsity because other life priorities take precedence. And frankly some women move into the college women's ranks, and a college paycheck is better than a HS paycheck any day. Once you're doing a nice D3 or D2 women's schedule....and rightfully feeling validated by that....the desire to be validated by doing HS boys basketball may not be as strong anymore.

I don't think we have too many female officials in this forum (perhaps underscoring the issue), but if we do I'd love to hear if my thoughts are accurate or way off base.

Oregon has had a female official work a boys state final at the 5A level (6A is the top).

My association up in Central VA sent 17 or 18 officials to the Final Four, and 7 crews to the quarter-finals, but not a single one of them was a woman.

Your association easily sent the most female officials to the quarter-final super sites.

I assign women to work boys games. If coaches have a complaint they have to be really careful how they present it to me, that's for certain.

What would you do if a coach or school told you that they didn't want any female officials for their boys contests?

What would you do if a coach or school told you that they didn't want any male officials for their girls contests?

I wouldn't honor either request.

I inquired because someone previously posted on this forum that this situation occurred in his area and the request was honored.

I am more than just a basketball assigner for my schools. I receive emails about officials from coaches, but I don't maintain black lists.

I doubt any of my schools would make such a request. My ADs are good people and just wouldn't.

I would t have enough females to put all girls on any games. Most people here work in crews.

I did tell a female that I would schedule her as part of an all female crew for a boys game if the schedules work out.

I would tell them I didn't want any male coaches for girls contests and no female coaches for male contests.

Locally, it's a regular occurrence, even in the playoffs.

Something about this statement really rubs me the wrong way. Concerns related to athleticism, poise, and handling coaches are something that can be a true for ANY official, regardless of the officials gender or the gender of the players.

It happens here, but not very often at all. Part of it is because it is clear that many will not give females a chance, they just never put in the effort. But it has happen a few rare times, but never in the playoffs that I can tell yet. And one reason it does not happen in the playoffs, is because they do not get assigned during the regular season. Again the path for a female official to the state finals is a lot quicker and easier on the girls side. So I do not see a lot of women even wasting their time trying to get those games.

Peace