You've all seen that game show on TV that's a lot like Outburst. One of the questions yesterday was, "Which sport has the worst referees?" The number one answer of course was basketball.

Hmmm if the poll was international, I would say #2 was soccer (or football), if not I would have to go with football.

That's because fans are more ignorant of all the basketball rules than they are of other sports.

I'd vote for professional wrestling. I mean, just when the hero is about to make a comeback, the evil villain's tag-team partner manages to distract the official. Dang it!!! Go figure...

HA HA!! Good one....

LOLOLOLOL, this happened in a game today. 8th grade tournament with teams in town from 8 states so it's a very good level of competition.

Team A is in their backcourt and team B has their full court press on. I'm giving a visual count and counting 3, 4, 5, 6 and this woman starts screaming; 5 seconds ref, 5 seconds ref, don't you know what a 5 seconds call is? I started laughing, spit my whistle out and forgot where my count was. Then I overheard a couple of parents trying to explain that they get 10 seconds to cross mid court and she started yelling at them to. She was a hand full, and quite entertaining to say the least.

A little knowledge
 

Living proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. And most fans have exactly that--little knowledge!

You've obviously never attended a HS soccer match.

That's absolutely no comparison. Fans are completely ignorant of the rules. Here are just a few examples of what they think:

1- Anytime the ball touches a hand, it's a foul.
2- If the ball touches the sideline, it's OOB.
3- ALL contact is a foul.
4- If there's a foul, it should be called, even if their best player is headed to the goal with an uncontest opportunity to score.

OK, got me there
 

You're right, I've never been to a HS soccer game, but I've been to plenty of grade school games. Most of the refs I've seen missed the page in the book that explains that a hand call has to be an INTENTIONAL manipulation of the ball. I tell my players that when I coach and they think I'm stupid because it always get called, even when it's inadvertent. And having reffed some soccer at that level myself, I've seen #4 happen quite a few times too!

I gotta agree with mplagrow. The real question is which sport has the most ignorant fans. I would think that each sport has it very good officials and very bad officials. I know I don't have the rules knowledge in soccer or volleyball to say whether or not the officiating is poor.

I say this with fear and trepidation -- but being a three sport ref, I must sadly admit that some of the worst partners I have worked with have been in b'ball --- but I also think that has a whole lot to do with the fact that there are so many more of us, except maybe for football. As for ignorance of the rules -- soccer would win hands down. The rules are easy -- but only a small number of fans have a clue. V'ball would run a pretty close second. Again, easy rules, but most people sitting in the stands just don't know them.

Nope..sorry many of the people I do baseball with just don't have a clue. You have to love when your partner goes "Foul Ball! The hands are part of the bat!" --oops wrong forum. Baseball guys...who wants to make the popcorn on this one? :D