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

I have been the president of the basketball student group at the University of Alabama for three years and have developed a relationship with many officials during that time. My seat is right on the court and it makes interaction with the officials very easy. Many officials such as Tony Greene and Tom Lopes even know me by name. Of course, as a high school basketball official, I am very cordial to them and treat them with respect. I guess my question is what kind of interaction with fans do you think it is ok for officials to have with fans if any?

It should be VERY MINIMAL, and even less than that if it's some heckler you don't know, or even a heckler that you do know. Getting in a pissing contest with a fan is a no-win situation for the official.

I've seen some chat and some good natured ribbing going on from time to time. But yah there needs to be limits.

There can be some good natured things said...but, in my experience, it can cause more trouble than it's worth if the defecation hits the ocillation at any point. ;)

Hunter, look at it from this perspective:

What if Mr. Lopes came to class to watch you? Would it be appropriate for him to start chanting "Bullsh!t, bullsh!t!" if you answered a teacher's question wrong? Would it be ok for him to post on internet chat rooms what a lousy student you are if you didn't score 100% on the last test?

If it would be appropriate behavior outside the sports arena, it will probably be acceptable. If you would be willing to say or do the same things to your parents or grandparents, it is probably ok. Do you follow the logic? There seems to be the general feeling that a fan has paid their money, and that gives them the right to do and say things outside the realm of common decency. Do unto others what you would want them to do to you.

Here's what I do in my games:

children: smile and wink. if they're in the front row, let them hold the ball during a full-time out. consider them your future players, coaches or even (shudder) refs! It also demonstrates a little humanity and serves as a reminder to everyone else that this is supposed to be fun.

good-natured fans trying to get your attention: smiling is acknowledgement enough to show them you appreciate the postive energy and enthusiasm they bring to this game.

hecklers: ignore. ignore. ignore.

This can all be accomplished without ever uttering a word. Nothing good can come from an actual conversation with fans. they'll turn on you in a hearbeat and embarrass you if they can.

Good for you Hunter for being involved. Keep up the good work.

I agree completely. I don't even raise my voice to them. If I have a disagreement on a call, I normally just wait until a break in play and ask them about it. 90% of the time(if it is one of the nicer SEC guys), they will come over and explain it to me. There is no profanity or anything like that, and that is why I think they are so will to come talk to us. They know we aren't going to scream at them or show them up, so they feel a little more comfortable. In my 4 years at Alabama, I have only missed 1 SEC game(home or away), and I haven't been to any other arena where it is like this.

First I'd like to say that its really cool to have a school official from such a big time program post here.

Second... I dont hear the fans.. at all. Good bad or otherwise.

That is awesome. That kind of stuff makes the game better for everyone. I would talk to people before or after if I've been there a few times, but I have a hard time doing that during a game. That is one of the great aspects of being an official: the respectful personal relationships you can build with others. By the way, you guys were tremendous when I watched a Crimson game on ESPN a few weeks back. Great support for your team. Good luck.

I was in the same position (seat) at the University of Oregon. Some refs were great, most were indifferent. I was threatened with ejection just once in 12 years. (Started young!)

Because of that experience I am able to tune out the heckles and jeers. Rarely do I interact with fans.

Worked a game in a small town recently; when our names were announced the fans applauded. Wow, how cool!, I thought. My cynical side immediately thought, 'you might want to hold that applause until you see me work.' Then I had a sucky game. :rolleyes:

Btw, if you see a Ducks home game today, it's a funeral home in comparison to how we rocked the joint. :mad:

I think it makes the game better as well. I have learned a great deal about the nuances of basketball in my time as a student. And it was the SEC refs who told me that I should get into officiating.

And thanks for the complement. I just wish our season was going a little better.

We are able to find out who the officials are a few hours before the game. If it's one of the officials we really like(Tony Greene, Doug Sirmons, Ted Valentine, Bert Smith, Joe Lindsay, Anthony Jordan), we will sometimes make signs that say something like "Mark's Madness welcomes Tony Greene". They seem to get a kick out of it.

Small Town ...
 

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.

Had a game in a small gym last night. About 4 rows of bleachers on each side. My partner was in the corner during a timeout where he was going to administer the throw-in. The home team had just given up a 26-4 quarter and the gap was not going to get closed. There were 3 or 4 guys 'cheering' for the home team and of course not al calls went in their favor. My partner asked if they were the official cheerleaders for the home team. They answered in the affirmative. He then asked them where their skirts and pom poms were. They all had a good laugh and we finished the game without any problems. That won't happen every game of course, but it seemed to work last night.