Boys' varsity game today, rival teams tied for 2nd in conference. I'm in an unusual spot--the second row of the stands. I don't go and watch many high school games unless I'm reffing. I was overwhelmed by the treatment of two fine officials who were calling a good game. The game was ugly, their calls were consistent. It didn't matter though. Anytime they were in earshot of the bleachers, the yelling, name-calling, cussing, and insulting were inevitable. There was one technical in the game, the home team assistant slammed his clipboard down in front of the ref after a travel call. I felt it was justified. Naturally everyone went ballistic.

I actually tried to tell one official at the 3rd quarter break, "You guys are calling a great game!" And he shot me a look. He was so used to the poor treatment, he seemed to be convinced I was being sarcastic.

Why don't people realize--we are their neighbors. Their kids' friends' parents. Our wives go to Pampered Chef parties with their wives. Maybe we actually even go to church with them. What is it about putting on the stripes that makes us a fair target for anyone, child or adult?

I to have sat in the stands at games and watched good officiating be taken horribly by fans. I think some people just feel like they have a right to yell and scream since they paid there whole $5 to get in.

What is really difficult to do is hold yourself back from commenting after some fan makes a stupid remark (yes, it is possible!). If I know the person pretty well I will try to explain the call,<i>a little bit</i>. The one I have to constantly teach fans in is the Over and Back (3 pts=?). It is very odd how reasonable people can turn into attack dogs whenever there team is on the line, just goes to show how important competition is to some people. Well I hope that these posts prompt some good disussion, hopefully with some more insite on how to help solve some of these problems.

"You Suck!” shouted the father in front of his school-age boy, "Over-the-Back, three seconds!", etc… Just think of all the things that boy was being taught at that gym.

I witness this banter at the gym in nearly every game I officiate or attend as a spectator.

The sad reality is that we have a lifetime of “learned” behavior to overcome. Most view this challenge as overwhelming and choose to not address the ever-present disrespectful and unsportsmanlike attitudes displayed at most sporting events.

”Johnny” watches as his father unjustifiably blasting the officials. Many game managers would rather ignore or minimize the behavior than deal with it appropriately. In fact, some threads have identified that some game “managers” are the source of the problem.

That's how our culture of “rip the ref” perseveres. It's handed down from generation to generation.

We should not tolerate this.

Based on my increased awareness of incidents of verbal abuse that have escalated into physical violence, I have made a conscientious decision, and hope that I and others have the courage to follow through, to stop such behavior as much as I can.

Ahhhh
 

Do you want the officials too be cheered after every whistle call. The yelling could be that maybe just maybe the official has made a bad call and it's a person's right to scream and yell if they feel the need to. This is the same case in how people on this board can criticize me for my post and how parents can criticize me for any call I make during the game. This is the way things have been for officials since the beginning of time, in our society the official is not overally respected and I feel a big part of that is because the discipline of officials is not known to the general public. I know I hear one of the biggest complaints and it is a complaint I have is no one knows when an official is disciplined for making mistakes. It's obvious if a coach or player is disciplined but an official no one ever knows and eventhough most officials feel they are better than the players and coaches they are not. When they do a poor job they should be disciplined for making mistakes, until the public is aware this is happening the treatment of officials by fans will continue. Sorry for my rant but I look forward to your criticism.

BBallCoach - thanks I need a laugh this afternoon. You are a very good troll. When I get older, I will purchase one of those really cheesy porcelain trolls and put in my front yard. Every time I come home, I will think of you. :p

Z

Gotta disagree,Z. He ain't one of the better trolls. He's too obvious. Being a troll can be an art sometime. This clown isn't at that level. Yet. He do keep trying though.

Re: Ahhhh
 

You need to try harder. As a troll, you suck. Hard.

Re: Ahhhh
 

Idiots in the stands wouldn't know a good call if it bit them in the backsides. Today I worked a bunch of kids games (which I don't do often) and heard the entire range of stupidity. Shouts of TRAVEL when no player has possession, shouts of CARRY on high dribbles when no hand came to rest under the ball, shouts of THREE SECONDS when the ball is bouncing around the rim.

There is nothing 99.999999999999% of the coaches and fans could ever teach me about officiating a game except the fact that they couldn't do it well although they think they can. The exceptions are either officials themselves or some of the good coaches that have been coming around here.

Hint: Not you.

--Rich

I call it the "Jekyl and Hyde" thing. When your kid or your team is involved, you turn into another person.

"Sports doesn't build character, it reveals it."

Or

"Sports doesn't build character, it builds characters."


When coaches defend idiot parents, it tells me a lot about those coaches.

Re: Ahhhh
 

Oh my God, I'm laughing so hard, I think I'm going to puke.

Why shouldnt the public know when an official is punished
 

Why should the public not be made aware of when an official has screwed up and has been disciplined? Are you not public workers who are being paid by the tax dollars that the local community pays to the school?

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I'll bite BBallCoach. Only because we had a letter to the editor in our student newspaper this week on the subject. I'll respond here the same way I did for the paper. The subject here is more directed at high school and below where the letter this week was more toward college and pro. But they speak to the same thing. Everyone, officials included, is accountable to someone. Here in Indiana, it is the coach and AD who hire officials. In other states, it is the association that assigns officials. The NFL this past season fines Tom White's crew half of thier game fee for improperly handling the clock in the Baltimore/Seattle game. The officials on the BYU/New Mexico game were penalized for the way the game was handled.

Fans are fans. If you support a team, you are unhappy when things go against your team. I still get unhappy with calls against the teams I pull for, I just don't get quite as vocal as I once did. I also look at things more subjectively. As long as a fan doesn't get vulger, I really don't care.

Your statement was "why shouldn't the public be aware when an official has screwed up and been punished. Aren't you public workers that the community taxes pay for?" I don't really even want to get into where the money we get comes from. But if your contention is that the public has a right to know these things because they pay fees, then shouldn't they also be alerted to when you or your players make mistakes. Instead of telling that a player has been suspended for breaking team rules, tell that he got caught using drugs. Or maybe we should have the paper print your yearly evaluation and salary. Shouldn't I as a tax payer know that my taxes are being put to good use?

My last comment is that I'm curious just how good your team is. If you spend half as much time coaching as you do writing in here, the state title must be on your mantle.

Re: Why shouldnt the public know when an official is punished
 

Nope -- I'm an independent contractor. I don't care where the money comes from.

Perhaps detailed evaluations of coaches should be published too. Or maybe people should come into practices and offer their opinions. I mean, you are paid from tax dollars, right?

AxMan
 

Thank you for your feedback. Last time I checked anyone member of a public school has their salarly posted in the annual school report, I would assume every state does the same. And yes actually there is a state title but it is not hanging in on my mantle but in our school's trophy case. Thanks for the support:)