What are your thoughts on offcials and their interaction with fans?(m)

[BillyMac]

I've worked over thirty games at one of the smallest high schools in Connecticut. Before recently building a new gym, their old gym had bleachers on only one side of the gym. On the other side, there were always a couple of dozen folding chairs, in one row, along the sideline. The student fans sat in the bleachers. The folding chairs seemed to be reserved for the senior citizens of the town, and since this small town had nothing else to do on a Tuesday, or Friday night, these older gentlemen would attend all the home games, both boys and girls. They eventually got to know me by name, and their proximity to the court allowed for some interaction between myself, and them. Did they give me a hard time when a call went against their beloved team? Sure did. But it wasn't mean spirited, or unsportmanslike. If I were administering a throw in on their side, after one of my "terrible" calls, I would occassionally ask them if they had a different call than me. They were seldom all on the same page. They would actually argue with each other, not with me, about the call. There's a new larger gym there now. These senior citizens are now spread out, up somewhere in the bleachers. Believe it or not, I really miss them.