I was reffing a youth league game (9-12yrs old) earlier today which took a bad turn about halfway through the game. I was doing the game solo and one player had a little too much attitude than I liked which seemed to be increasingly getting worst as the game continued. The league had told me previously that they did not want us to give out T's to premote sportsmanship (???? How that makes sense I do not know???)

Then I noticed one little african american boy seemed to be getting hacked a lot during the game. I don't believe it was on purpose, most of the kids were still learning the basics of defence. So I simply explained to the kids that they would have to stop hacking like that or else someone will get hurt (This wasen't a competitive league... more developmental). Then I simply explained the basic concept of defense to the kids after being asked by the coaches to do so. The kids seemed to understand but the player with the attitude then walked past the african american boy and said loudly " Not that it really matters anyway, he's only a N[racial slur]". I turned around stunned as the same kid came next to me expecting me to hand him the ball to inbound and laugh with him.

I automatically blew my whistle, and called a T. I told the boy to leave the court and talked with his coach who agreed with me 100%. The coach then told the kid to find his parents and that they would have to talk to the convenor in charge about his penality but for now would have to leave.

This is where it really gets interesting, after the game the convenor and the boys parents come to talk to me, for what I thought, was a to file out and incedent report or tell them what happend. But instead I find them asking me why I called a T, and how I should have handled the situation differently.

I told them flat out that I stood by what I did and that I knew that I shouldn't expect the same level of play and [I say this VERRRRY loosely] mature demeanor of the older levels of play. But I do expect and demand a certain respect from anyone (coach, player, parent) towards me and their fellow players. The kid needed to be taught that that behaviour was unacceptable and there will be consequences.

Oh and of course, the father went on about kids will be kids, but it was clear where the kid had gotten it from. They both eventually walked away knowing that I stood by what I called. But I couldn't help but shake my head as I saw my friend and referee telling another kid to watch his language on another court.

Just a vent I guess, or maybe asking if I handled this correctly?

I'm guessing that this is only gonna get worse as I get older (I'm 16), hopefully those grey hairs won't be popping up anytime soon :D

You absolutely did the right thing.

This is 2005, not 1955. Unreal.

Wow, you did what was right, but it says a lot about the league that they want to tie down the refs by not allowing a T. The warning without penalty on the other court is a perfect reason why the sportsmanship that we see in hs continues to decline.

Absolutely no doubt in my mind that you did the right thing. I started officiating in a recreational basketball league when I was 14 years old, and throughout they taught us that any racial/ethnic slurs or bad language of any type was worthy of a technical, as well as all bad sportsmanship in general. I would be weary of working in a youth league that does place good sportsmanship as a top priority, and also one that doesn't support their officials for making an obvious call such as that. I can't believe that they really told you not to give out T's and/or not to promote good sportsmanship. That absolutely blows my mind.

kristal_15,
I don't even know you, but I am still proud of you.
mick

NIMBY
 

In my game, that kind of behavior gets dealt with, no questions asked. If the league has a problem with that, then I don't need to work there. A league that does not value sportsmanship and does not support their officials is not worth the time. Good job!

A developemental league should be stressing SPORTSMANSHIP more than ANYTHING!!!!!! You were correct in what you did. What he did was not only unsportsmanlike, but derogatory and racial. At that rate, that young man starting his life in the wrong direction. Hopefully this will teach him something and he will become a better person. The problem is if the adults around him are saying "boys will be boys," he is not going to hear very many good things. The “boys will be boys” line is a horrible cop out as a parent. We need to teach our kids to respect others and be good people in society.

Good job, girl!

And your point is? Not much has changed, just the tactics.

Peace

Kristal, I don't know you either, but you've done us proud! You ever move to SW Washington state, we'll give you all the games you could ask for, and you won't have to worry about being backed-up!! Nicely done...

Re: NIMBY
 

For those younger ones... that stands for Not In My Back Yard! :) :D Thought I'd point that out. Anyways, kristal good job. <img src="http://www.illinoishighschoolsports.com/ubb/graemlins/thumbsup.gif"> <img src="http://www.illinoishighschoolsports.com/ubb/graemlins/thumbsup.gif"> <img src="http://www.illinoishighschoolsports.com/ubb/graemlins/thumbsup.gif">

puleeze.
Things may not be perfect, and we certainly have a lot of room for improvement. But things have changed. Let's acknowledge the progress we've made as we continue to make more.

Kristal,
Well done. I agree that withholding T's is a poor way of promoting sportsmanship. It's like saying passing illiterate students to the next grade level promotes academics. Being young, your options for games to work may be limited, but hold on to your backbone and you'll do just fine. And I don't mean just as an official either.

10 attagirls to Kristal.

Let's just agree right now to disagree and skip the flame war, guys, okay?

Yes let us agree that lynching do not happen as often anymore. Great progress. <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_5_126.gif' alt='' border=0></a>

MLK Jr. B-Day will be this weekend. Tell those that will speak how much progress has been made. You might be surprised what you hear.

Oh well, I guess we have overcome. :rolleyes:

Peace

That is a perception I'm sure you reached after seeing this several times. Let me just say, NO IT IS NOT ALRIGHT! Wow, this statement is unbelievable. BushRef, are you black? If you are NOT then your free use of the word, although typed, and your question would make me wonder about you. I don't know exactly what I would conclude at this point but it says something when a 15 year old understands the sensitivity this word can cause and does not spell it out but you do. I would think a moderator would at least edit your post to get rid of it. I am a black man and I can speak on this. No, I will not go around blaming white people for everything that I don't have and I don't think JRut will either. I grew up with white friends because that was the neighborhood I was in and all I knew was the kids I liked to ride my bike with :D I did/do not keep white friends as collectors items, I like and dislike :) people equally! That being said I think I'm 100% qualified to say that things haven't changed on the inside. Racial issues are still on people's hearts. What has changed is how they effect us on the outside. The stakes have been raised and instead of passing by and sayin a racial slur minorities are being denied opportunities based on the color of their skin. IMHO we should all be ashamed of Black History Month, affirmative action and other such things. It is just a reminder that we needed and still need to have those things in place just to move in the direction of having an even playing field. I'm just thankful to my mother, the Air Force and others for never having all of that racial stuff eating away at me inside. However, it still exists. It has just been updated like cars, houses, computers and other things.
Kristal, you did a fine job. Please keep us posted if you hear anything else about this situation. IMO the kid should be suspended for several games and apologize or just be suspended for the rest of the season. IMHO this is far worse than anything Artest or O'Neal did in Detroit.

[Edited by mick on Jan 12th, 2005 at 07:07 AM]

Failed edit

Rut,
I didn't say we'd overcome racism. I said significant progress has been made, and I'm not just talking about lynchings. I don't think I need to spell out the ways in which things are better now than they were 50 years ago; but I suppose we could get into that. :(
Mainly, as this instance illustrates, this kind of attitude is not acceptable by most people. Most of the refs I know recognize how this kind of language is damaging, and would have done exactly as Kristal did.

Unfortunately, racism can't be overcome overnight. It will happen, sadly, as the old racists die off and fewer and fewer of them are able to pass their filth on to their offspring. I wish it could move faster, and many great men and women have sacrificed immensely to speed the progress up. Maybe we could move faster, I don't know.

My only point in my response to you was that things have changed a lot; but I also recognize things need to change more.

I'll be honest with you, I don't know of a single racist person in my circle of friends and colleagues. I'm sure there are some, but they keep their mouths shut about it. That in itself is progress, IMO.

Peace to you, too.

Adam

I don't know whether you're tongue got stuck in your cheek here or not, but I'd say it doesn't matter for two reasons. First of all, that's probably the most automatic single-word in my book; regardless of the ethnic background of the speaker. Secondly, preceding the word with, "It doesn't matter, he's just a...." makes it a flagrant T because of the attitude inherent in the context.

Perceived Racism...
 

Anyone who thinks that progress has not been made in this area simply chooses to ignore what is going on today. I live and work in a predominately African American community, and it is my observation that many individuals hold themselves back because of "perceived racism". They rationalize that everything that does not go their way happens because they are black. In fact, I had an assistant coach accuse me of calling a technical foul on him because he was black. He then proceeded to call me a "redneck" to my African American partner. Racism can go both ways, and I have experienced situations like this many times. If something doesn't go someone's way, it must be because they are black and the white person is tearing them down. These are just my observations.

Re: Perceived Racism...
 

Buckle up boys and girls, here it comes...INCOMING :D

Kristal, you did exactly the right thing. I would've done the exact same thing. Don't lose a second's sleep over it.