Removal Threshold
 

The general sense I get among high school officials here is that fans that spew forth profanity will be removed, with the assistance of game management.

Where does everyone stand of comments regarding a lack of integrity ("on the take", "paid off by the other team", "on the team bus", etc.)?

I referee the game impartial and with consistency. So those comments will never both me. I try to smile to let them know I heard them and it had the opposite reaction they were hoping for and to show them I was not negatively affected like they hoped...

:)

Fans? What fans?

Not acceptable from a coach, doesn't even register if coming from the fans.

When this happened to me this past winter, I just chuckled to myself and didn't give an outward reaction. :D It also helped I had my back to the crowd as it was a time-out.

That said, MHSAA Officials do have the ability to rate schools on their sportsmanship with regards to the athletes, coach staff, and host environment. I imagine if there was a very serious issue, that could be used and/or an official's report of concern.

+1

This works fine if you and your partner of of the same "demeanor"; however, if one of you is more prone to be affected/persuaded/bothered by this then it may appear unfair. I go by the credo "one warning, next time you get t'ed up".

What warning do I get for "Furk you, ref?:cool:

John Deere Tractors In The Parking Lot ...
 

We work games at one of the smallest high schools in Connecticut, in a very rural part of the state. It used to have a very small gym, one side with some bleachers, and, opposite tableside, a single line of folding chairs along the sideline wall. The students, and parents, would sit in the bleachers. The old geezers in town would sit in the folding chairs, every single game, since there was nothing else, other than cow tipping, to do in town on a Tuesday, or a Friday night.

These guys would give us a hard time every single time that an official was on that side of the court, especially during throwins, intermissions, timeouts, etc. No yelling, just quiet comments like, "Do you want me to give some water to your seeing eye dog in your car?". This would go on for the entire game, whether their team was winning, losing, or whether, or not, the officials were doing a great job, or an average job. On close calls, and easy calls.

I never considered this to be unsporting, it was a bunch of old guys having some fun. It got to the point where I used to like working games at this school. I started having conversations with these guys, "What did you guys have on that last block charge? How did you like that out of bounds call?" After comments like this, they would end up arguing with each other instead of commenting to the officials.

The tiny gym is gone, replaced by a larger field house, with large bleachers on one side of the court, and only the table, and team benches on the other side. If the guys are alive, and are still there, they now blend in with the rest of the crowd. Too bad, I really enjoyed the intimate atmosphere in that old gym..

If they get personal with players or personal with participants they are going to draw my attention. I clearly hear them and make sure that they are not saying much to the participants.

If they say something to me usually they are ignored.

Peace

I think on some upcoming throw-ins, when I was in front of them and my partner was throwing me the ball, I might miss catching it.

"Have a good evening, coach."

Two thresholds for me.

1. If they're inciting the rest of the crowd, it needs to get dealt with. Most site admins deal with it, however, and most fans don't go there anyway.

2. If it is distracting me from the game, it gets dealt with. This is a very arbitrary point, though, and it can't really be defined well. But I would rather remove the problem and take a bit of grief for that than let it fester and affect my concentration. I've only done this a couple of times, and it only happens in summer ball (season ball at the schools has parents/fans who are far more knowledgeable and admin who are much quicker at addressing issues before they even register with me).