Unprofessional Comment ?

[Corndog89]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

"Let's try and not go totally stupid these last couple of minutes."

I have no problem with the statement because it addresses behavior, not personality. However.........

Words have meaning and some are more powerful than others...I have found through experience that "stupid" is a word that evokes powerful reactions. While deployed in the desert a couple years ago I officiated a lot of intramural games...in one, I told a guy (turned out to be a captain MD in the medical squadron) to stop the "stupid" play (he was frustrated and getting a little out of control). He got very angry that a referee had called him "stupid". I never did...I referred to his play, his behavior if you will. All he heard, however, was "stupid". Was my observation about his play correct? Absolutely. Was my choice of words in that emotional situation (and really, aren't sports at their very essence an emotional experience) the smartest? No, not at all.

For the last few years when play starts getting rough or potentially out of control, in a stern, directive voice I'll tell the players that this isn't a wrestling match, and instead remind them that we're playing basketball and they need to do just that. Works almost every time for me.