.
 

How to handle the kind of insinuation that Dan described varies from situation to situation. You're right that it's an issue for both the person to whom it's addressed, and for the partner. Dan's response was masterful and worked well. In a different setting, Jeff would have a different management style that would do just fine. Both would agree that the details aren't the point. Each situation has to be handled as seems best at that time.

[/B][/QUOTE]How about me? You know? The guy that wants to unload the little sh*t?

Profanity is stupid and reactionary -- usually without any thought. Implying a cheating situation without profanity IS worse, in my opinion.

Re: .
 

How about me? You know? The guy that wants to unload the little sh*t? [/B][/QUOTE]

Yes, Woody, you're a very good little ref. (pat on the head) Now go play with your nice thorn bushes!

As a half-black woman officiating boys basketball, I am usually very much on my own in the gym. But because of that I've had to deal with a lot more crap from players and coaches, and I find now that I'm much less sensitive to comments from players than my partners are. In a situation like Dan's, I usually mention to the player that it seems they are questioning my integrity, which tends to result in a technical foul, and they usually get the message.

In my experience, I've found officials generally judge other officials by skill - not race, gender or some other category - but those in the minority do have to work harder to get to the top. But race, on the basketball court, is the topic which can cause problems to flare up faster than any other. For me, in the black school/white school games, it seems like I'm expected to be in favor of the black team, which has caused some technical fouls on the coaches of either team. But I will say, as far as racial comments go, coaches get no leeway from me. They should no better than to question an officials integrity, let alone involving race.

Hey, Sara, any woman on this board is very welcome by me, black or white! Let me ask you, in terms of how people treat you, do you think you get more respect from black male players and coaches than from white male players and coaches? I seldom if ever have trouble with black men, and I think it's because in the traditional black culture women get a lot more respect than they do in the traditional white culture. I had sort of concocted this theory on my own, and then I read an interview with Violet Palmer where she said the same thing. She can succeed in the NBA because so many of the players are black and they respect women in ways that white men dont tend to. Has that been your experience, Sara?

And, by the way, Sara, I see that you have 67 posts; but I haven't noticed you before. Is that because (a) you've been posting on another board, (b) you've been hiding behind your initials, or (c) I'm just dense?

Juulie,

That is a very interesting observation.

I think as a whole, Black people tend to not fall into those behaviors of discrimination the same way that non-whites I think do. In the Chicago Public League (mostly Black and Hispanic players and coaches) for example, there are several women that work Boy's basketball. Hardly anyone bats and eye to this or makes much of an issue out of it. But you would not even dare see that in conferences that are outside of the city.

Just look at the woman that worked the D1 Men's Tournament a few years back. She was the first women to ever work a tournament game and what conference did she come out of? The SWAC (or the MEAC, I just cannot remember for sure). She worked in a conference that is a conference of all predominately Black schools. The supervisor is a Black male and gave her an opportunity that she and no other women have really seen before or since.

On the basic topic in which you guys are currently discussing, I know that Black coaches tend to get more upset with me, mainly because they think I might be on their side and quickly realize I am not. But they never disrespect me for the most part or question my qualifications. I have been in several situations where white coaches have questioned my qualifications or my ability in ways that boarder on insulting. I had a coach one time write a letter to an assignor about a situation in which he had no idea what the rule was (I was right btw :D). In the letter this coach used these words, "I am writing this to make Mr. Rutledge a better official." Now my question has always been would he have done that to my white counterparts? Not so much the letter, but the tone of letter and the use of those words. I personally think not. BTW, my partners on this game were also African-American and I T'd him up because in his effort to challenge a trivial matter he yelled, "Read the rulebook, read the rulebook, read the rulebook." The opponent was an all African-American team and he probably never had been faced with that kind of situation.

Oh well, I guess that is just a day in the life.

Peace

Why am I not surprised?!

You are alright with me Juulie.
 

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Peace

I have no comment on this; I'll just let it speak for itself.

Well Chuck,

I really do not what you could comment on. Because the last time I checked, I did not know of any people of color that can prevent you of doing much of anything you want to do in life. From just an officiating standpoint, I do not get games (and neither do you) get them from a bunch of minorities. ;)

Peace

Huh ?
 

JRut ,
I would like for you to explain what you are saying because I really don't understand what you mean . Are you saying that you are held back from doing certain things because you are black ? Are you saying that black people don't assign games ? I just don't undersatand what you are saying .

Really?
Tell that to OJ's ex-wife's family.

Then again, tell that to Scott Peterson's ex-wife's family.

There is good and bad in every race. IMO your broad generalization is somewhat overstated.

This is an issue that everyone faces to some degree. I don't want to get into who faces it more than others. Some face this issue way more than others and I believe there are several reasons for that:
1. Some will avoid situations where it could possibly arise.
2. Some will head straight toward these situations, and I believe they go looking for it.
3. Some people automatically assume it's there when it's really not.
4. Some people are just stupid and they think they're better than others.

Either way it goes, it's not right! Just be yourself and if people accept that, then good. If they don't, then they're not worth your time anyways.

Re: Huh ?
 

Yes.

Yes.

They do not on a very large scale. And the ones that do, you have to in my case either go directly and work for the Chicago Public system or if I wanted to work any college or major college, I would have to go to conferences that the schools are traditionally Black schools (Florida A&M or Bethun-Cookman).

Out of the all the games I have scheduled this season at the HS and college level, not one is assigned by a person of color or women. Not one.

So what are you saying?

Peace