.

Where is this camp? Do they have a website?

Talking to fans
 

I have coached hockey, soccer, and basketball at various levels of play, and I have always had the same reaction to a ref conversing with fans during a game. I immediately have a lower opinion of that ref, rightly or wrongly. I know referees can't completely ignore everything that is said, but hearing fans and interacting with fans are two different things.

I have always thought that commenting to fans reflects badly on the ref. It simply makes them appear to be less than professional. I do not see that it accomplishes anything positive in terms of the game that you are officiating, and nothing in any post I have read on this subject in the past two years changes my opinion (boy am I ever a hardhead!). If a fan is out of line for the level of play (e.g., my tolerance level for fan abuse in a 3rd grade rec game would be much lower than in a packed varsity gym!), have them removed by the game management. Otherwise, make them believe that you do not hear them.

It might make you feel better, it might entertain some fans, but talking to fans during the contest doesn't make the game better.

Get the
 

As a teacher, I get my best results when I get the parents involved, early in the year.

As an official, I get my best results with unruly players (running their mouths, uttering profanities, etc.) when I involve the coaches early on in the game. A simple word to a coach that his #? is getting mouthy usually takes care of the situation.

Further, as an official, I get game administrators involved EARLY when the followers get whacko in the bleachers. During a dead ball, it's so easy to locate one and put a buzz in their ear that I'd appreciate their cooperation with keeping the fan behavior appropriate. When/if I need to approach them later, it's usually just a simple word/request to have the offender removed with MINIMAL disruption of the game, or personal involvement in the situation.

As the old saying goes....an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (or something like that, right? <smile>)

Get those "parents" involved!!!!

I don't mind getting the game administrator involved, but here is my beef on that.


Here in Texas, if you throw a fan out of a game, you have to fill out a form and I believe take a trip to Austin to go in front of the UIL. (Texas guys please help me out on this one.)

So in the end, you would be filling out form after form after form and then taking numerous trips to Austin. And that would suck.

I tossed a fan once, and I would do it again in the same circumstances. There were about nine fans in the whole gym so everything everyone said was very noticable. Neither of these teams (girls' freshmen) were very good and the game was not going well. To add insult to injury, these two teen-age1 boys were sitting there 3shouting vulgar insults at the players on one team, and it was clearly beginning to affect the players. I kept listening, and was looking for the AD, my partner wouldn't address the issue. Finally, there was a time-out and I w1as standing on the sidel2in0e right near3 these guys. I 4turned to them and said, "Guys, either knock it off, or leave." And they left!! As soon as the AD showed up1 again,2 I went and told him wh3at I'd done. He was fine with 4it -- I guess it's not the first time those b5oys had been troublesome. (So why wasn't he there when I needed him, if he knew what they were like!?!)

There was this one other time when I tried to toss fans... some of you folks will re1member... but that's 2not a subjec3t I care to dwell on...

(please igmore t4he extra numbers i5n this6 post -- they are the bright idea of my 3-yr-old.)

I think the point here is that the ADMINISTRATOR is throwing the fan out, not the official. I will NEVER be the one who does the tossing. I'll simply ask the administrator to do his/her job. Washes my hands of it completely.

Also, if filling out a form and being at a statewide meeting is the requirement, I think I'd just have to do that. I'm not about to let the integrity of a high school athletics contest be compromised by my lack of desire to fill out a few forms/go to a meeting.

Truth be told, though, how often do you/others have to toss fans? In 14 years of officiating football/baseball/basketball, I can count on 3 fingers the number of fans I've asked administrators to "evict."

Yet again, the FIBA perspective.

We can't give T's to fans - the only recourse is to get the administrator/security to remove the offending fan.