Venting

[amcginthy]

Originally Posted by Terrapins Fan

Humor me for a second......

Tonight I drove 90 minutes to do 2 middle school games....girls middle school.

Game 1- 7th grade girls. Game goes very well and it's a 2 point game at the end. Home team wins.

Game 2- 8th grade girls. Home takes charge and in control the whole game. in the 4th quarter a home fan unhappy with several of my calls is yelling and yelling and yelling about EVERY call I make, " call it both ways" , " If it was a foul at the other end, it's a foul at this end too" " You're Terrible" OVER AND OVER AND OVER...I NEVER let a fan bother me, but this guy got under my skin, during a dead ball, I turned to the stands, not know which guy it was, and said "I don't know who it is that is yelling, but if I hear one more word, you won't be in this gym" . That was it, everything was fine after that.

I'd prefer not to address the fans, but in this case it was worth it. I don't know either of these two teams, I live over 60 miles away. I couldn't care less who wins, and it's a middle school game......

BTW, it's a great school to ref at because they give you free a hot dog ( they are great ), soda and popcorn!

Fellow TerpsFan, you mind me asking what the teams were and what league... MMGBL??

[Old School]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Absolutely terrible advice...never to be used by any real official.

Somehow, I get the feeling that anything I say will be terrible advise to you. Thrown any officials under the bus lately?

Do NOT stare at fans. You ignore them or you unload them. You are not there to antagonize them. If you ever try that nonsense, believe me, you might find yourself in a situation that you do not want to be in. Other than being completely unprofessional, it's also stoopid.

Hey, I'm only reporting what works. It worked for me and I didn't have to go bother home management and I didn't have to say anything to anybody. All I did was eyeball the disruptive fan, and once I identified where he sat. Everytime he said something that I didn't like. I would look at him to let him know I know it's you. Now, if I have to have the fan removed, I know exactly who I'm going to have removed. I'm not guessing and generalizing everyone that's there. Last, and I really wasn't going to bring this up but since you say it's terrible advise. I don't know about you but I need to know how far some people are willing to go. I need to know who the person is in case they might try something after the game. You never know and you certainly won't know who to avoid or who maybe coming after you upon leaving if you don't look up there to find out.

You don't have to stare but you let them know I know it's you. A couple of quick stern looks and they generally calm down. Also, I generally don't get involved with a fan that's just complaining about a call. It's when the fans starts to get personal is when I start to pay attention.

But that's just me.

[archangel]

The only time I've ever addressed someone in the crowd was last year. The assignor called me last second to fill in on a boys 4th gr game (1 of 3) at a school 1 mile away--sure I can be there.
During the game, one mom kept yelling instructions or complaints at her son. I'm crowdside trail as her son attempts to rebound but fouls, whistled by lead.
She immediately yells " Bulls!!t". Since she's only about 15 ft behind me (and I knew it was her), I turned and told her that if it happens again, she's gone!---quiet the rest of the game(I think her sons eyes said thank you)...

[bellnier]

Sheesh...60 miles each way! Maybe the school can throw in a round-trip limo ride along with the free dinner.

[Old School]

When you talk about staring. I just noticed that before I give a player or a coach a technical for inappropiate behavior, there's this look that comes over my face. It's almost like going into a new routine, one that I am not pleased to go into. That is the look I would give a fan that's being disruptive to my game, where I have to now step up and address it. Once I go into that mode, you are inches away from getting one or getting removed. I see no problem with giving a fan that look. You don't even have to say anything. That look will be your warning. Coaches know that look. Once I go into this mode. I don't play. But that's just me.

[deecee]

is THIS the look OS?

[REFVA]

Never address the fans. I'm sure you read that too many times on this thread. I had similar situation. With a fan that was sitting front row and standing and stretching his legs almost caused my partner to trip with 10 second in 2nd quarter. That was the first issue we address with security to move them to the 2nd and 3rd row. didn't have an issue all 2nd half. All you had to do was to let the school security know and they should have addressed it.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Luckily I was working an intramural game at a Navy base. I know I shouldn't have said it but my teen-age son had really pissed me off that day so I needed to vent at someone, so I picked this a$$-hole who was sitting behind one of the benches. I'm retired Air Force so it felt good to take out my wrath on a Navy puke.

Now this, I can understand. My brother's career Navy now, and you know my status.

[Adam]

We had a fan sitting right behind the V bench one game, he was a fan for the V team. Half time, the senior official amongst us told the game admin (also an official in our association as well as the superintendant at this particular school). GA then gave the fan a little sheet of paper that outlined expectations for spectators and told him in no uncertain terms that if it needed to be addressed again, it would be the last time that day.

[rainmaker]

I tossed a fan directly once. It was a really, really lousy freshmen girls game and there were about nine total fans in attendance. Two fo them were freshmen boys from the home school. They were razzing the visiting players who were indeed unattractive, unskilled, and overweight. But it was completely and utterly appalling for them to point it out as obnoxiously as they did. I couldn't find the AD, and my partner wouldn't do anything, so I told the guys, "Hey, you two, OUT!!" They left very obediently. When the AD showed up I told him what I'd done.

[Terrapins Fan]

Here's something that happened to me. I am doing a JV game ( boys ) After a call, the varsity coach sitting opposite the team bench, said " You will Never work one of my games", then later made a comment about one of my calls
( and the call was right) I never acknowledged him, but it got under my skin.

what do you think? ignore or acknowledge?

[HawkeyeCubP]

Originally Posted by Terrapins Fan

Here's something that happened to me. I am doing a JV game ( boys ) After a call, the varsity coach sitting opposite the team bench, said " You will Never work one of my games", then later made a comment about one of my calls
( and the call was right) I never acknowledged him, but it got under my skin.

what do you think? ignore or acknowledge?

Completely ignore. Probably want to say lots of things.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Terrapins Fan

After a call, the varsity coach sitting opposite the team bench, said " You will Never work one of my games",

"And you will never see one of mine." Then, just stare at him. Make sure you give him the stinky eye. Then, stare at his pants and puke on his, um, his um, uh, his shoes, yeah, his shoes.
Okay, seriously, ignore him if you can.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Terrapins Fan

Here's something that happened to me. I am doing a JV game ( boys ) After a call, the varsity coach sitting opposite the team bench, said " You will Never work one of my games", then later made a comment about one of my calls
( and the call was right) I never acknowledged him, but it got under my skin.

what do you think? ignore or acknowledge?

Report it to your assignor. Varsity HC in attendance at JV is part of the school administration as far as I'm concerned and comments like that from school administration are unacceptable. When I worked JV games quite often the person who let me in to the locker room would be the Varsity coach. I couldn't imagine one of those folks then going up in the stands and heckling the officials.

I had a school janitor standing at the end of the baseline (where there were no bleachers and no fans were allowed to stand there) heckling me and my partner one time. I went straight up to him and told him if he's going to act like a fan then he needed to go sit in the bleachers.

[deecee]

or make a statement and have him removed for trying to intimidate you...