Yelling In The Crowd (Another Official)

[ILRef80]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

While I agree that the use of your name was completely unprofessional and should not have been done, I also understand the "dad" yelling about calls - I have been known to do the same thing from time to time. I never use any adjectives or other words to describe a call (That's a horrible call, etc.)...but when my sons are playing, I have a hard time not noticing things that are just not right. Example: son establishes LGP and then gets rolled by the kid driving to the basket - ref calls block on son. Explanation to coach is "He was moving backwards coach, never got set. He needs to take it like a man to get a charge call from me." I said some things to that official - and when he brought it up at a meeting several weeks later, he heard the same things again. The notion that someone has to stop being a dad just because they are an official is incorrect. I need to remain calm, and have had to get up and walk out of gyms at times, but when something blatantly wrong occurs, I will say something to the officials. I will never call them by name, I will never call them out, but I will say "How can that be...?"

I would have no problem with this. In the situation you described, they are simply not applying the rule correctly. It's a common myth that the defender has to be "set" in order to take a charge. Most officials know that's not the case, but I can see where newer officials may not have conquered that myth. I think it would be fine to approach the official (perhaps not at that particular game) and politely explain the rule.