I Am Blind....

Just Curious · #1 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 11:43am

NFHS The non-players at one of the schools in our league, have a tendancy for dramatics. Their mascot, a bronco, had a knock-down drag-out fight with a replica of a scorpion (Their opponent's mascot)during half time last night... At one point, during a free-throw in the second half, the bronco was demonstrating the art of personal hygene, using the scorpion... I stopped the game and took the scorpion away and the gave it to the head-coach of the home team and the game went on.
In the past, their mascot's half-time show included wandering around the floor with a cane carrying a sign that said: "I am blind... I am deaf... Look at me, I'm a ref" Another year the fans had a doll sized referee with it's limbs velcroed on... They would from time to time pass the doll around ripping off it's arms and legs....
The school's administration does little or nothing to police this kind of behavior.

What are some of the things that you all have seen and what do you do about it??

zebraman · #2 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 12:34pm

Just Curious,

LOL..not sure exactly what personal hygiene (sounds funny) was demonstrated, but I think I'd laugh about the "I am ref" thing. I don't think I would have taken the scorpion away - just adding fuel to the fire. If I was truly offended or felt that it was extemely unsportsmanlike, I might tell my assignor or ref board after the game and let them deal with it. IMHO, it is outside the scope of what I am at the gym to do.

A student had a duck call at my game last weekend and I asked gym management to take it away, but only because "artificial noisemakers" are specifically outlawed in the rule book. I saw a kid with a ref shirt and some big Harry Carey glasses in the front row of one of my games last year. At a time-out, I put on his glasses and then said (so most of the students could hear), "man, I can see WAY better with these on." They got a big kick out of it and left us refs alone all night.

Z

ChuckElias · #3 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 12:40pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Just Curious
NFHS during a free-throw in the second half, the bronco was demonstrating the art of personal hygene, using the scorpion... I stopped the game and took the scorpion away and the gave it to the head-coach of the home team and the game went on.
In the past, their mascot's half-time show included wandering around the floor with a cane carrying a sign that said: "I am blind... I am deaf... Look at me, I'm a ref" Another year the fans had a doll sized referee with it's limbs velcroed on... They would from time to time pass the doll around ripping off it's arms and legs....

I think you probably handled the "personal hygene" incident correctly. I'm not even sure I want to know exactly what he was doing with the scorpion.

If I saw the halftime routine, however, I would assess the home team with a technical foul and eject the mascot. And I'd make sure that the home management did not allow the kid inside the costume to come back in the gym, even after removing the outfit. If I knew ahead of time about his halftime "routine", I'd make sure I stayed in the gym to see it, too. I know that goes against "don't look for problems", but there's no way that's going to happen during my game if I can help it.

I heard a story, which may or may not be true. I believe this occurred at a Chicago Bulls game. When the referees were introduced before the game, the organist played "Three Blind Mice". The officials had the organist removed from the arena.

I don't think you can do anything about the doll being passed around by the fans. As long as the doll's body parts don't come flying onto the court, they're allowed to have their adolescent fun.

Just my two cents.

Chuck

Tim Roden · #4 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 12:42pm

Where I graduated from college, we had three guys walk into the gym with long cains, striped shirts and dark sunglasses. Even the refs laughed hard at that one.

As far as a fight goes outside of the confines of the court and your jurisdiction. It is a game management problem, not yours.

Rookie · #5 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 01:36pm

Quote:

If I saw the halftime routine, however, I would assess the home team with a technical foul and eject the mascot

based on what rule?

Rev.Ref63 · #6 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 01:48pm

Quote:

Originally posted by zebraman
Just Curious,

I saw a kid with a ref shirt and some big Harry Carey glasses in the front row of one of my games last year. At a time-out, I put on his glasses and then said (so most of the students could hear), "man, I can see WAY better with these on." They got a big kick out of it and left us refs alone all night.

Z

That's probably how I would handle these types of situations as well. As officials, we can't be too "thin-skinned." It is unfortunate that we are all stereotyped as blind, incompetent, and slow. But, we knew about this coming in.
If they are simply having fun at my expense, I would probably laugh along with them as long as it is not directed at me personally but only at me as a ref.
I would have a tough time throwing the mascot out of the gym for something done at half-time.

Rookie · #7 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 01:51pm

If you knew a player was dunking during the pre-game (while you were not out there), would you walk out onto the court earlier to make him stop?

stripes · #8 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 02:17pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Rookie
If you knew a player was dunking during the pre-game (while you were not out there), would you walk out onto the court earlier to make him stop?

No, never.

Mark Padgett · #9 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 02:21pm

If incredible disrespect is shown to an official (like the "blind mascot") by an official representative of the school (like a mascot), then you should tell game management to get him to stop it immediately. If they don't - start with the technicals. In fact, you could even tell the A.D. that if they don't stop, you are leaving the game right there.

An alternative would be to tell the A.D you are going to start walking around with your thumb up your @ss and yell, "Look at me everybody, I'm your coach."

As for fans, do nothing unless they are disrupting the game.

BTW - you have no gripe if you belong to IAABO, which, as we all know, stands for I Am A Blind Official.

[Edited by Mark Padgett on Jan 14th, 2002 at 02:33 PM]

BktBallRef · #10 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 03:39pm

Quote:

Originally posted by ChuckElias
If I saw the halftime routine, however, I would assess the home team with a technical foul and eject the mascot. And I'd make sure that the home management did not allow the kid inside the costume to come back in the gym, even after removing the outfit. If I knew ahead of time about his halftime "routine", I'd make sure I stayed in the gym to see it, too. I know that goes against "don't look for problems", but there's no way that's going to happen during my game if I can help it.

Chuck, I honestly don't think you have a leg to stand on here.

Spaman_29 · #11 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 03:39pm

Whoa I really have a hard time with assessing penalties to any of these infractions, with the exception of the duck call. I try to stay as far away from anything that will add fuel to a fire and that is some pure gasoline. If anything I would probably join in and have a little fun with it then I at least would have the crowd on my side. Now there is a line when it becomes unsportmanlike and then it must stop. Last year I had a live chicken thrown on the court, we laughed, kicked the kid out who did it and moved on. Look at the pro's they will tolerate a ton with the mascots because it is part of the entertainment.

Mark Dexter · #12 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 05:40pm

Yesterday was the first home game I was back since winter break, and so the guy in charge wasn't sure if I would be there, and I had no assigned duties (read, I got paid to sit and watch a basketball game just for running reports at halftime and the end of the game

), so I sat at one end of the scorer's table.

Midway through the first half, the home mascot took a seat on my left, and started doing the "poke his right shoulder thinking he won't know the guy on the left poked him routine" for the crowd. According to someone sitting on my right, he then proceeded to direct gestures at me. My take is that the best thing to do is ignore the situation. If you let yourself get pulled in, it just gives fuel to the crowd.

daves · #13 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 08:30pm

Ignore them and let them have their fun.

ChuckElias · #14 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 09:48pm

I'm kind of at a loss here. I cannot for the life of me figure out why most of the responses to this thread consider a mascot mocking the officiating crew to be just good, clean fun. I would toss that mascot without a moment's hesitation. Bye bye. Can this kind of act NOT be unsportsmanlike?

Chuck

zebraman · #15 (**permalink**) Mon Jan 14, 2002, 10:05pm

Chuck,

If you can't laugh along, just get game management to take care of it. Why would you want to stretch your official's jurisdiction outside the boundaries of where it is intended? The mascot isn't a coach, a player, nor a team statistician on the bench. If you think it is taking away from the game, have game management handle it and concentrate on the two teams.

Z