JV Boys game. 1A. Three minutes before game time Visitors have only four players. Coach nervous and uncertain what the deal is, where 5th guy is, what to do. Game time, still no 5th player.

Huddle with two refs, home coach and AD, visitor coach.

VC: Can we start with only 4?
Ref: No, there must be 5 to start.
HC: Well, he can have one of ours.
VC: NO!! That would be an ineligible player, and we'd have to forfeit next game as well as this one.
Ref: Same problem if you pull a dad out of the stands.
(Long pause)

HC: Okay, how about this; We will forfeit. YOu win. Now, you can have one of our players for the exhibition game we will have in the empty time we have available. Any objections?

Does this merit a sportsmanship award, or what!!

Give me the name of this school. I want to fly in and work a game for him. No Pay!

Good Story!
Thanks, Jewel.

Wow! And this was in Oregon???

Yes, and the home team was from a Christian School. And the parents, and fans all exhibited model sportsmanship throughout the game. I had had two very horrible MS games on Friday night, and then this on Saturday. I kept pinching myself to see if I was still alive, or had died and gone to heaven. I had a very capable and pleasant partner, the skill level was actually not bad, and the boys were cute and cheerful -- not all tough and strutting. There was one boy who all the girls called "Big Bird" and he would blush and grin sheepishly, and then make both free throws, or the basket. They helped each other up, laughed when we called travel (laughing ruefully at their own lack of skill) and all shook our hands and thanked us after the game. I had several parents tell me they "love having a woman ref" -- which absolutely NEVER happened to me in a boys game before. I stayed ahead of the ball the whole evening, and all in all it definitely was one of the highlights of my season.

If it hadn't been for Sunday, I'd still wonder if I hadn't died and gone to heaven. (At least I hope what happened to me Sunday isn't what's going to happen in heaven! But that's another story)

Juulie - I don't know if this was an OSAA game or not, but I would caution you and everyone else about doing scrimmages (or "exibitions") depending on your insurance coverage.

Frankly, in situations like that, I go home (and still get paid, of course) :)

This is the first thought I had while reading your story. While heartwarming, there is now a question of liability. If anything had happened, and the game wasn't a legal game, good luck on getting any help from the state or your insurance carrier(s).

While I suppose that you might not be insured under the referee insurance, I would have refereed this game in a second. Of course, I have my own health and liability insurance. Call me on old softie, but if two teams (even if one of them is a player short) are there and want to play, I'll stick around and ref it. I may be almost 40, but I can still remember how much those games meant to me and how much it sucked if I didn't get to play after thinking about it all day long!

Z

Are their any lawyers out there?
 

Now that I have your attention...

The "liability-leary" officials have tweeked my interest.

Doesn't the school hosting the game have the liability? Even though we are a contractor, it seems that the school has the liability for injury (unless it can be proven that we as officials were professionally negligent). Has there ever been a case of a sports official being charged and found guilty of this type of negligence?


Juulie:

I thoroughly enjoyed your story.

I would do this game, too. As for the "liability" issue, in all my years neither I nor any official I know has been involved in a game where this became an issue. Do any of you have personal experiences?

No - and my point is that I never want to have any.

I have to agree with Mark P. As much as I would want to stay and work the game, if I am not convinced that is a fully sanctioned game, I won't work it. I wouldn't want a child to get hurt and then have the parents or anyone else use my decision to officiate the game as a reason for litigation.

Once again, damn I'm gald I don't live in the USA.

Under Australian laws, there is no way that a referee can be held liable for an injury to a player - with the exception of forcing a player that is injured to move. All local assosications have insurance that covers players, referees, team followers, and spectators in the case of injury, even if they are training, scrimaging or whatever.

It must really suck to have to constantly consider the legal ramifications of your actions. Thankfully all I hve to worry about is getting the call right :)

Play on
 

I agree with Jullie. Sorry Mark P.(I seldom disagree with you). I have been reffing for 25+ years now. In the course of that time, I have had similar situations. First this is a JV game (HS or JHS)and I have been paid already to work a game that will not be played if I don't ref it. Usually I go to both coaches and explain this is going to be like a scrimmage game or practice game. Since one team is short on players, I suggest we use a running clock, stop on shooting fouls only. I will not let the legal issue about injury or insurance coverage stop me from working a game that the kids want to play and both coaches have agreed to. These are really fun games to work, not much pressure. I find it interesting to watch parents that have to cheer for the visting team because their son got picked to play for the visitors. Have you ever worked a game where the varsity team plays the coaches or an alumni game? These are not sanctioned games but they are fun to work. I think what Jullie did was good public relations work. It would have been easier to take the money and leave, but to stay and work a game that you did not have to work almost makes us humans. This is just my opinion. I would not hestitate to work a game like this.

Re: Play on
 

Sure, I've worked these kind of games, plus games where Australian teams came out and played US teams. But I was assigned to do these games, and as such, my association and the school's insurance applied.

If you work this game that is technically a forfeit, you've just gone into a gray area. You're now working a game that you weren't assigned to, and insurance companies are going to have problems. If I'm an athletic director for the school, I darn well better have the same concerns, unless my insurance does apply.

That being said, I can understand all referees that would choose to work the game. I don't blame them. But they need to understand the risk (albeit small) they are taking.