Verbal Abuse of Coach to Players

[Oz Referee]

Here's my thoughts on this thread (in case anyone cares).

Firstly, Australia is a lot more laid back when it comes to "political correctness" - this may or may not be a good thing, but it is a fact. This attitude flows over onto the basketball court, and I would imagine that, as a generalisation, most Australian referee's have a more relaxed attitude towards "foul" language than the average North American.

Secondly, I believe that it is the job of the referees to enforce the rules, not the quality of coaching. I am a referee, coach, player and administrator of basketball, and I've been around the sport for a while. Some of the teams and players that I ave coached in the past have responded best to being yelled at. Others have needed reassurance and positive re-inforcement. I have a degree in psychology, and it is a well known fact that different people respond to stimuli in different ways. I feel that it is up to the coach to determine which is the best way of getting the most out of his team - whether he uses "great job Johnny", or "Pull your damn finger out, you wimp" is up to the coach (and maybe the administration).

Having said that, if a coach starts using clearly audible, "foul" language, I'll be the first person to T them up. But if their language is loud, confrontational, agressive, or demeaning without swearing - that's their perogative.

You might not agree with the coaching methods, but you can't T them for that - would you T a coach for unsportsmanlike behaviour for playing a zone when you think they should be in man?

Phew....I'm done!