Very inappropriate comments from fans and how to address

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by ref2coach

I was called everything but a white Man.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

If no one else will say it, I will say it. You were called a white man and you were offended? Really??

I get identified all the time by my race and I do not get upset, nor do I consider the reality of that identification as racist (because it has nothing to do with racism BTW). It is not the identification that is problem; it is a slur or a stereotype that is offensive.

And I bet that most people here that are white, it they choose to work in places that did not look like them, they would pass. I do not have that choice and I live in a highly racially mixed area where most of the people of color in the state lives and if I am assigned in a place where only people of a certain race that look likes me takes place, it is rather rare. A vast majority of time of my games I am just about the only Black person in the gym (players, coaches, fans and administrators).

Peace

Do you need the benefit of the doubt?

[bigdogrunnin]

NBA this year too. Vince Carter and Derrick Stafford (Ref). Stafford gave 2 T's and ejected Carter. Carter got in his face and Stafford allegedly called him a boy.

In response to the OP . . . fan(s) get(s) the buh-bye in several cases:

1. Interfere with players, coaches, game on the court. Keep their butts in the stands.
2. ANY profanity. See ya!
3. ANYTHING racial. Later!
4. Loudly, brazenly, and repeatedly questioning the integrity of the officials (e.g., calling the officials cheaters is one). I know some may disagree, but there comes a point when it shouldn't be ignored.

Just my take. Also, I HIGHLY recommend NEVER attempting to handle fan situations by yourself. Always get game administrators/management to address the fan. No one wins when a game official attempts to confront a fan. Just google it . . . NEVER a good outcome!

I will admit though, that as I work "higher level games" (i.e., college, varsity) that I am far less likely to hear anything from the stands (if anything). But, in those sub-varsity, JH, Little Dribblers, and rec-league games, I tend to put up with far less nonsense . . . and that's just me. I know others won't agree.

[JRutledge]

What was he called? I do not know too many racial slurs that identify white people that are widely considered offensive.

What, did they call him stupid, terrible, "you are not from here," or any number of things and that is boiled down to racism? At least the person in the OP used the exact term that he was called. That word (that was used) is not simply a name being called that we all have been through as officials. That identified nothing else but his races. And if he was called names, get in line; it happens to all of us on the court in some capacity.

Peace

[ref2coach]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

What was he called? I do not know too many racial slurs that identify white people that are widely considered offensive.
Peace

OK, Rut a few quotes for you. Blind F**cking Cracker, White Boy, Redneck. The most vocal was a guy setting in the second row at mid-court. Coming up the floor as trail after making a call against the home team I was threatened with "I'll cut you white boy". Next dead ball I tell the black security officer who and what had been said. He said "what do you want me to do?" I tell him I would like you to remove him. He tells me "get over it, I'll walk you out after the game."

Your responses so far have proven my point. You state "I do not know too many racial slurs that identify white people that are widely considered offensive." The common societal assumption is that only a White person can be racist toward a minority. Myopic

I grew up without racism, I do not practice racism but I have experienced racism as player and since moving to TN as a referee.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

What was he called? I do not know too many racial slurs that identify white people that are widely considered offensive.

A racial remark does not necessarily contain any certain word. One night I heard one black woman in the stands say to another, "That's _______. He doesn't like it when the black folks win." I was 10 feet away. Did she think I was deaf, or did she want me to hear her?

[TravelinMan]

Originally Posted by RookieDude

Pretty simple for me:

1) Racial slurs


2) Profanity


Those two can get you booted...otherwise, pretty much ignore.

Also fan talking directly to a player with intent to intimidate, e.g., when player goes to free throw line. Booted fan for this.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by just another ref

A racial remark does not necessarily contain any certain word. One night I heard one black woman in the stands say to another, "That's _______. He doesn't like it when the black folks win." I was 10 feet away. Did she think I was deaf, or did she want me to hear her?

Goodbye.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by ref2coach

OK, Rut a few quotes for you. Blind F**cking Cracker, White Boy, Redneck. The most vocal was a guy setting in the second row at mid-court. Coming up the floor as trail after making a call against the home team I was threatened with "I'll cut you white boy". Next dead ball I tell the black security officer who and what had been said. He said "what do you want me to do?" I tell him I would like you to remove him. He tells me "get over it, I'll walk you out after the game."

And you left it at that?

Originally Posted by ref2coach

Your responses so far have proven my point. You state "I do not know too many racial slurs that identify white people that are widely considered offensive." The common societal assumption is that only a White person can be racist toward a minority. Myopic

I really hate to break it to you, but I really am not concerned with what I am called. I am sure there are comments made that in my direction that are racially motivated, but I tend to not worry about that. And if you want someone to get upset, I have heard things from people of my own race that I would be much more offended by in the things they say to me and the expectations they have of me. I am much more concerned about equal opportunity and giving officials that reflect the game much more than officials that look nothing like certain individuals on the court. For example, there is a big time tournament in my area where the vast majority of players, coaches are not white. But you cannot find a single game in the tournament where more than one African-American is officiating any single game and the people hosting the tournament are not white. That is evidence of true racism to me, not just name calling.

Secondly, if you did not report the actions, that is on you. Because I would not have left the situation alone with what happen at the game site. And I would have been more concerned with the threats. I have worked in places that literally had the Klan meetings in that community before the season or had what they called "Sunset laws" and I went into those communities fully aware of that racial history. I know I was called things based on my race and I functioned. No one directly said anything to me because they were either afraid to do so or they people around them took action.

Originally Posted by ref2coach

I grew up without racism, I do not practice racism but I have experienced racism as player and since moving to TN as a referee.

I grew up with it and all around it. I grew up in towns that never saw Black people unless they came to my little college town. It was not until I moved to a metropolitan area that I was even exposed on a more regular basis. And it has never gone away and never will. It is just hidden and it is subtle and the last thing I worry about is being called a name. It is about how I am treated and things that are implied by my race rather than words alone. I can only think of one situation that was called near my face a racial slur. But I have had many people tell me about comments made to them or things implied by my racial background. And that is much more of a concern than being called "Black boy."

Peace

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by just another ref

A racial remark does not necessarily contain any certain word. One night I heard one black woman in the stands say to another, "That's _______. He doesn't like it when the black folks win." I was 10 feet away. Did she think I was deaf, or did she want me to hear her?

You are right and if it did I would have to eject everyone from the gym on certain occaions.

Peace

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Found it. It was Baltimore Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle claiming that an NFL official called him "boy". I remember that the news reported that Samari said that the official "never played football". I remember thinking how he would know the official hadn't ever played football. A pretty dumb comment, imho.

It was the Ravens/Pats game on MNF in 2007. Rolle whined about a play by telling the official he had probably never played the game before. The official had in fact played in the NFL (KC Chiefs I believe). I imagine his response to Rolle was something along the line was "Boy, you don't know WTF you are talking about". Kinda like I address my son when he starts flapping his gums about sh!t he knows nothing about.

[just another ref]

To each his own. A racial remark means very little to me. If you hurl a racial remark at me, you are trying to be hurtful. I am not much interested in your little game. You are the one with the problem. I would find it worse to be called incompetent or stupid than anything racial, except that the huge majority of people that call us incompetent or stupid are not qualified to make this judgment. By far the worst thing to me is when fans/coaches/players question our integrity. These accusations, of course, are motivated by a wide range of reasons, real and imagined, one of which quite often is race.

Call me blind. Call me stupid. Don't call me a cheater.

[Juulie Downs]

Whether or not racism offends us, we need to be aware that we are there for the kids. When kids hear stuff that shouldn't be said, and it is intended to be hurtful and dehumanizing, and no one does anything about it, it affects them negatively, whether they are of the race doing the hurling, or the race receiving the hurl. If someone is shouting something negative that is race or gender-related, whether it's at the refs, or the players, or the coach, or the guy running the concession stand, if I have jurisdiction, that person is out of here. Period. Not just because of who is doing the yelling or who is receiving the yelling, but because I want everyone around me that this is not to be tolerated by civilized human beings.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by CMHCoachNRef

My hair is rather short; My forehead is a bit, uh, long; I have bushy eyebrows to the point that I have been referred to as "unibrow"; I am somewhat taller than average; and I weigh a decent amount less than average (some may say thin); I have pretty big feet (not quite clown-like, but big); I get up and down the court rather quickly, but my long arms and legs can look stork-like to some; and I'm not the best lookin' guy in the gym.

Wait a minute. Didn't you write the Emancipation Proclamation, and make an important speech called the Gettysburg Address? I would suggest that you don't buy tickets to Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater.

Some people think that I look like Steve Garvey. Fans yell, "Cheater", and, "Paternity suit", at my games. I don't favor one team when I officiate, and I think that I look good in a suit, so the yelling doesn't bother me.

[CMHCoachNRef]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Wait a minute. Didn't you write the Emancipation Proclamation, and make an important speech called the Gettysburg Address? I would suggest that you don't buy tickets to Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater.

Some people think that I look like Steve Garvey. Fans yell, "Cheater", and, "Paternity suit", at my games. I don't favor one team when I officiate, and I think that I look good in a suit, so the yelling doesn't bother me.

About this time of the season, I can FEEL like I am about 200....

[kgeorge0263]

I was quite entertained, educated, relieved, etc. from all the posts to this thread. I definitely feel I could have done something with game management regarding my situation that has now happened two times. I know that by contacting game management that this situation could've been rectified or at least addressed, but it is something difficult to do..as pointing out to individuals that this is happening. This also brings the situation up again, where it can play with your head. I guess I did the easy thing by ignoring it, which in the big picture is not the best thing. I think if it happens again, I will talk to the game manager, so at least that individual and other fans know that this will not be tolerated. It is just not my personality or nature to ruffle feathers, even though I was not the individual to start the conflict. Although I have done better dealing with normal "t's" with unsportsmanlike acts by coaches and players, I still feel uncomfortable dealing with fans when they do something like this. I also don't like to cause attention to myself in dealing with a racial comment.

Thanks again and good luck with the rest of your season!

Thanks for your support...

-KG