Womens championship game

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Exactly what does the racial makeup or gender of a team have to do with who are the best officials? I have yet to see a single real point that supports how that matters. Get the best officials, whoever they are. If the teams have a problem with that, who is really the problem? Yes, there are certain games where having diverse representation can help, but that is really only become necessary when the teams have issues.

If it does matter and you want everything to match, you should also be suggesting that the state restrict the teams that are allowed to participate in the tourney and advance based on the population's demographic breakdown. To do otherwise is counter to representing true fairness for everyone. I don't for one moment believe that should be the case, but that is essentially what you're arguing for. If you're going to pick a reference point for drawing some sort of quota, it should be relative to the overall population.

From recent census data, Illinois is 63% While, 16% Hispanic, 15% Black, 5% Asian, plus a few smaller groups. If a fair and equal world where you accept that all people are created equal and each person gets a fair chance based on their own abilities, of the 12 finals slots you mentioned, you'd expect an average of about 8 Whites, 2 Blacks, 2 Hispanics, and an Asian every other year or so.

Hmmm. Since you're for equality, can I assume out there promoting the idea of ensuring there are 2 Hispanics working the finals every year and 1 less Black than there was???

It has a lot to do with it if you are not used to working a certain kind of ball. The teams that ended up winning the two biggest classes came out of the City of Chicago. You know who works that ball most of the time? You guessed it, African-American officials mostly. Basketball in the city at the top level is often above the rim, very quick and can have an edge to the players you do not see anywhere else.

I also did not say that race should be the only factor. There are white officials from the city that are used to that style of ball as opposed to those that work in rural areas and suburban areas where the teams are never above the rim and not nearly as quick.

And most of all the players act, behave differently in different areas and coaches act and behave differently as well. It is often a "shock" to officials that have never been in the city (even the Catholic schools) in the way they will overreact to situations without having experience to squelch issues.

This is why I pointed to the 2A Finals in this state. Those three officials came from a part of the state where I doubt seriously that they on a regular basis had two teams play each other that were different racially by fans and players. I have had that kind of situation or experience in this season several times. It is no big deal for me and one of the reasons is my race because I am put into those situations by assignors with a racially mixed crew. And that does not mean African-American treat me better. It just means I often will be the guy they come to about stuff, but when I do not do what they want they act up. But that would be a shock to many officials who have never been in those situations.

Race can play as big of a factor as knowing where someone lives, seeing how big someone is and how athletic they are to keep up or what your years of experience is. Some people have fewer years of experience and have dealt with things than someone with more years. And it appears that many supervisors in my experience feel that way. I know coaches have complained that they did not have more diversity in a staff. And no, was not always Black coaches that complained. It was other coaches that felt it mattered when they coached an all-Black team.

Peace

[BillyMac]

.. of the way we were.



We're movin' on up. Of course, our skin color wasn't an issue, and half of us already had a penis. All we had to do was lose our brogue, and stop going to mass every Sunday. That's what my great grandfather did, and then he got to work for the railroad, all the livelong day.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

It has a lot to do with it if you are not used to working a certain kind of ball. The teams that ended up winning the two biggest classes came out of the City of Chicago. You know who works that ball most of the time? You guessed it, African-American officials mostly. Basketball in the city at the top level is often above the rim, very quick and can have an edge to the players you do not see anywhere else.

I also did not say that race should be the only factor. There are white officials from the city that are used to that style of ball as opposed to those that work in rural areas and suburban areas where the teams are never above the rim and not nearly as quick.

And most of all the players act, behave differently in different areas and coaches act and behave differently as well. It is often a "shock" to officials that have never been in the city (even the Catholic schools) in the way they will overreact to situations without having experience to squelch issues.

This is why I pointed to the 2A Finals in this state. Those three officials came from a part of the state where I doubt seriously that they on a regular basis had two teams play each other that were different racially by fans and players. I have had that kind of situation or experience in this season several times. It is no big deal for me and one of the reasons is my race because I am put into those situations by assignors with a racially mixed crew. And that does not mean African-American treat me better. It just means I often will be the guy they come to about stuff, but when I do not do what they want they act up. But that would be a shock to many officials who have never been in those situations.

Race can play as big of a factor as knowing where someone lives, seeing how big someone is and how athletic they are to keep up or what your years of experience is. Some people have fewer years of experience and have dealt with things than someone with more years. And it appears that many supervisors in my experience feel that way. I know coaches have complained that they did not have more diversity in a staff. And no, was not always Black coaches that complained. It was other coaches that felt it mattered when they coached an all-Black team.

Peace

And that is an entirely different question than what race those officials were. That was simply a matter of the officials not being qualified for that game.

We see the game thing here...officials from outside of Portland can be suprised by the level of ball they encounter when they get deep into the tourney...and they are the same race as the other officials and players.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

And that is an entirely different question than what race those officials were. That was simply a matter of the officials not being qualified for that game.

We see the game thing here...officials from outside of Portland can be suprised by the level of ball they encounter when they get deep into the tourney...and they are the same race as the other officials and players.

I believe qualifications can include race when situations of the participants and their reaction to things are a factor. Just like someone in business is going to hire or send people in their company to deal with certain groups because they know they can handle those situation. I would not expect in a sport like soccer to send all English speaking people into certain places if all the players speak Spanish. Let us not act like only a certain group is "qualified" in the first place. And what does "qualified" even mean? And for some reason we never see outcries for qualification of officials when they are all white males. That is a fact you still have yet to address, but we seem to wonder why women and African-Americans are in games when the players look more like them are somehow not "qualified." I find that fact very interesting.

Peace

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

It has a lot to do with it if you are not used to working a certain kind of ball. The teams that ended up winning the two biggest classes came out of the City of Chicago. You know who works that ball most of the time? You guessed it, African-American officials mostly. Basketball in the city at the top level is often above the rim, very quick and can have an edge to the players you do not see anywhere else.

Peace

In all fairness Jeff, I would say a number of these officials that only work CPS games fall through the cracks and fail to receive post season assignments because the coaches in the CPS do a poor job of sending in ratings, which limits the ability of those officials to move through playoffs. Also a number city officials dont do the stuff necessary to get promoted (many are still x or r) or go to camps, both of which also have negative impact on their power ratings and playoff assignments.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by johnny d

In all fairness Jeff, I would say a number of these officials that only work CPS games fall through the cracks and fail to receive post season assignments because the coaches in the CPS do a poor job of sending in ratings, which limits the ability of those officials to move through playoffs. Also a number city officials dont do the stuff necessary to get promoted (many are still x or r) or go to camps, both of which also have negative impact on their power ratings and playoff assignments.

There are a lot of officials that work more than CPS and see teams all over the place. I was not referring to only officials that see CPS. The is CPL, there are south suburbs and there are places in the suburbs that have some of the top teams in the area. And Power Rating could not have meant that much this past season. They found people to use I know that did not have power rating numbers. And we know they use people regionally. So someone from a suburban region is not necessarily competing with someone in the city limits.

[Texref]

Watching thr ufc season finale. The female fight referee is, you guessed it, a female. Found that interesting after reading this thread. First female ufc ref I have seen.

[APG]

Originally Posted by Texref

Watching thr ufc season finale. The female fight referee is, you guessed it, a female. Found that interesting after reading this thread. First female ufc ref I have seen.

The UFC is not involved with assigning referees. And that referee has also worked other PPV events, with males fighting, so it's nothing new for her.

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

There are a lot of officials that work more than CPS and see teams all over the place. I was not referring to only officials that see CPS. The is CPL, there are south suburbs and there are places in the suburbs that have some of the top teams in the area. And Power Rating could not have meant that much this past season. They found people to use I know that did not have power rating numbers. And we know they use people regionally. So someone from a suburban region is not necessarily competing with someone in the city limits.

I agree with this, I was just saying there are alot of officials in the Chicago area that do not take the necessary steps to make themselves available for the playoffs. Even using guys without high power ratings, they are never going to advance guys that are only r past first round of playoffs, and guys that are x will most likely never get a playoff at all in chicagoland area.

[JetMetFan]

For those of us not in the Chicago area, what are R and X?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

For those of us not in the Chicago area, what are R and X?

Must be some NE Illinois code or something.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Adam

NE Illinois code or something.

Isn't there a "code word" for the northeastern corner of Illinois?

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

For those of us not in the Chicago area, what are R and X?

If my memory is accurate, the letters refer to 2 of the 3 levels of official ratings for the state. They are 1) registered, 2) certified, 3) ??. Just don't ask me the order of them. How'd I do, teach??

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

For those of us not in the Chicago area, what are R and X?

When you first become an official in IL, you are an X. After a few years, you can be promoted to R by going through a process of getting some reference letters, taking another test and a few other things. When you have been an R for a few years you can be promoted to a C, the highest level we have here in IL. Again, there are a few things you have to do, but it isnt that hard. Once you are a C you have the ability to rate other officials on IHSA website. Also, in Chicagoland area, there are very few officials that are R that get playoffs, none that are X. Probably more than 95% are at C level. It isnt that hard to move up, mostly just put in a little time to do the stuff. Unfortunately, there are a good number of officials that dont take the time to go through the process and thus make themselves ineligible for playoff assignments.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by johnny d

Chicagoland.

The secret code has been deciphered.