Wreck Ball- How do you guys do it?

[SNIPERBBB]

Rec ball is fun for me to do, just for the entertainment value of the spectators and coaches. It makes some of the nightmare HS girls games easier to do ....

Especially with player's dad that complains after the game that his boy never fouled out all year, yada, yada,yada(refs in that league must either not know how to call a charge or his opponents didnt know how to take one as we could of fouled him out on charges alone).

Looking forward to a tournament St. Patrick's weekend, usually a pretty collection of teams. When that tourns done, I get to look forward to playing golf before HS softball starts.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

Especially with player's dad that complains after the game that his boy never fouled out all year, yada, yada,yada(refs in that league must either not know how to call a charge or his opponents didnt know how to take one as we could of fouled him out on charges alone).

Similar incident for me a few yrs back.

League brings me in to do the chamionship game. Undefeated Team has run through the league all season. I called three charges on their "star" point guard in the first half. He just never figured out how to pull up and take that short five foot jumper.

He fouled out mid-way through the third quarter......and they lost. Naturally, it was my fault.

[Victor74]

I officiate regularly adult rec league basketball. There are times where I ask why I even do it. The adults act like out of control kids at times and think they know the rules better than I as the official do. I had one even tell me that if I hear the foul I should call it. I've been told I'm blind or need glasses, but I've never been told to get a hearing aid.
I keep working this league to make the basketball better. My partners are not officials. So I not only have to call the game but have to teach on the spot my partner. I do a lot of coaching my partner on what it is to be an official. Otherwise, the players will begin to think I am not a legit official and the respect level will go down.
The players do show some respect. And through the years, it has become a better league to officiate. The level of play has increased and the flow of the game is more like an actual game.

[Mark Padgett]

As I've stated in other posts, there's different "levels" of kids rec ball around my area. There's plain old everyday recreational leagues and there's "competitive" leagues. There's a huge difference in the attitude of the coaches and parents between the two. Of course, that's a generalization - some of the "competitive" parents and coaches are just fine and a few of the "recreational" parents (virtually none of the coaches) are aggressive in their behavior.

It's been this way for about the last five years or so, which is when the "competitive" leagues formed. The idea is that, for the most part, these are the kids who will filter into the HS programs and play on the HS teams. Mostly, that's how it happens, although some really good players don't play in that league due to financial considerations. It cost four or five times as much to play in that program as in one of the local rec leagues.

How do I put up with it? I come up with retorts that I think are humorous and/or just say to myself when someone says something stupid - "What a maroon."

BTW - our local kids rec league pays $27 for MS (and below) games and $30 for HS games - you get a monthly check. The competitive league pays $30 for all games and you get paid by cash or check at halftime of the game by the home team. The local YMCA, which has a pretty big program, only pays $20 (paid by check bi-weekly). The bad part is that if you wind up working a game alone (which almost never happens, BTW), the competitive league pays only an additional $5 while our local kids rec league pays 1 1/2 times your normal rate, which is eminently fairer. I don't know what the Y pays for that.

[Scuba_ref]

Originally Posted by VaTerp

I heard more disrespectful and unsporting comments in 3 games today than I did in 40+ varsity contests. The worst part was that the coaches and parents did not address any of the "young men" playing but only helped create an environment where blaming the officials for every missed shot, turnover, and ultimately losing the game seemed to be the recommended course of action.......it is really disappointing to see a culture of teenagers who feel entitled to everything and feel that they can address adults in any manner they want.

The young men are only acting the way they have been taught. I did my first and last AAU games Saturday. The kids were fine (5th grade) but the parents and the coach (for one team in particular) were absolutely horrible. With those kind of role models the kids don't stand a chance. Interestingly enough, those kids are part of the school district known to have the worst parents, fans and coaches in the area our association serves.