Ejecting Fans

[Adam]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

You work youth football in Texas - you know exactly the type of scoreboard guy I'm talking about.

His kid, apparently, rushed up the middle into a pile of dust around the 10 yard line. The pile was moving slowly forward, we didn't kill the play. All of a sudden over the PA we hear something like, "What the F&*$!!! Blow the G@$-D#$# play dead you F*$&*# idiots!!!! You're going to get my kid hurt!!!!!"

Kid scored. Parent-with-a-mike got to witness the rest of the game through binoculars from the not-very-close parking lot.

Let me ask you this, would you have even addressed it if he didn't have the microphone? Suppose it's a youth game, and the crowd is sparse enough that everyone can hear him.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Adam

Let me ask you this, would you have even addressed it if he didn't have the microphone? Suppose it's a youth game, and the crowd is sparse enough that everyone can hear him.

I don't do football but if it were a basketball game I would have addressed it. I once had a game at a private school (rich kid type) where a student section chanted something vulgar. I advised GM and from what I could tell they decided not to address the issue. However, I think the fact that the kids saw me talking with an administrator encouraged them not to repeat it. If it had continued I would have just addressed it with my commissioner (assignor).

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

You work youth football in Texas - you know exactly the type of scoreboard guy I'm talking about.

His kid, apparently, rushed up the middle into a pile of dust around the 10 yard line. The pile was moving slowly forward, we didn't kill the play. All of a sudden over the PA we hear something like, "What the F&*$!!! Blow the G@$-D#$# play dead you F*$&*# idiots!!!! You're going to get my kid hurt!!!!!"

Kid scored. Parent-with-a-mike got to witness the rest of the game through binoculars from the not-very-close parking lot.

That is priceless!

As for the OP...I have had GM escort a fan out once - in a HS Boys game where I had to warn the cheerleaders to stay off the court. Daddy of one of the cheerleaders decided to come onto court and quarter break to give me a piece of his mind. A simple gesture to GM guy and he had daddy by the arm and basically drug him out the door.

On the other hand, I was working a Women's JuCo game where my partner - a very well established and experienced official in the NW - tossed an entire section of the stands (about 30 people) and refused to let the game continue until they had left!

[BillyMac]

Boys high school varsity. My partner calls an intentional foul on V1, who fouled H2, and he heads to the table to report. H2 gets in V1's face, despite the fact that I'm trying to get between them, and unleashes the "F" word. I toss H2. All of this happens at the division line, far side, across from the table. I'm all alone with the players because my partner is still in the reporting area. Out of the stands, onto the court, comes a parent, who gets right in my face, complaining that I tossed the wrong player. I actually felt that he was going to hit me (he didn't). I go over to H coach and ask him to have the parent removed from the gymnasium (the athletic director wasn't there that night, first time ever that he wasn't there). Head coach of H says that it's not his job to remove parents. I say that we're not playing until the parent is removed (no threat of a forfeit mentioned, we're just going to wait). Assistant coach H gets off the bench and tells me that it isn't my job to have parents removed. I tell him to please sit down, he refuses, and I serve him some tea, just one lump. Head coach finally has parent removed, we get all the fouls reported, shoot all the free throws, and we're just about ready to get under way when V6, on the bench, unleashes the "F" word at a group of H players on the court, so he gets tossed.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Adam

Let me ask you this, would you have even addressed it if he didn't have the microphone? Suppose it's a youth game, and the crowd is sparse enough that everyone can hear him.

Honestly, that's a great point.

If I put myself in exactly that situation, with a guy yelling that same thing, but not with a mike - I probably ignore it. Wondering if that means it was wrong for us to address it when he had the mike.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

A simple gesture to GM guy and he had daddy by the arm and basically drug him out the door.

That's pretty much all it takes here in my little corner of Connecticut. We have some outstanding athletic directors, faculty managers, and site directors.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

Honestly, that's a great point.

If I put myself in exactly that situation, with a guy yelling that same thing, but not with a mike - I probably ignore it. Wondering if that means it was wrong for us to address it when he had the mike.

No, I think there's a significant enough difference that you could address the PA announcer and justify ignoring the fans.

Pesonally, around here, I'm backed up tossing parents for this sort of vulgar language during a youth game (not going to hear it in most high school level games). I did inform a parent in a MS level FB game last spring that he was on the verge of having to hear about the game later (dropping repeated F-bombs at the officials). He mumbled something in anger, but I didn't hear from him again. I normally don't do that, and in fact regret it after the fact, but it worked. I probably got lucky.

[Mark Padgett]

In our local kids rec league, we have at least one of the Board members at every game. If a spectator says or does anything inappropriate, the Board member deals with it up to and including ejection. If the person is ejected, they cannot attend any more games that season unless they appeal to the Board and are reinstated.

And now for something different. Back in HS (a few centuries ago) we used to have a chant we would yell when an opponent was going to shoot an "important" free throw. It was "See that basket, see that ball, c'mon stupid, hit the wall".

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

"See that basket, see that ball, c'mon stupid, hit the wall".

Tame by today's standards.

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

What the heck were these moms doing?

Not what they should have been doing - ie supporting their team. They had a video camera set up on a tripod to tape the game. But during a time out while not running the camera, they had to find another way to amuse themselves. Ooops, enjoy the remainder of the game from the parking lot.

Originally Posted by Lcubed48

Not what they should have been doing - ie supporting their team. They had a video camera set up on a tripod to tape the game. But during a time out while not running the camera, they had to find another way to amuse themselves. Ooops, enjoy the remainder of the game from the parking lot.

Did you eject the camera too??

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

You work youth football in Texas - you know exactly the type of scoreboard guy I'm talking about.

You know it, although I can't say I've ever had that happen.

First week of youth games is in the bag. It is truly amazing what can be seen from the stands.

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by AremRed

Did you eject the camera too??

Yep, the camera had to leave too. But, the game administrator did it not me.

[Toren]

I have a very low threshold for parents. But it also depends on the age of the athletes. If the kids are younger, I will not tolerate their parents acting like kids themselves. I just had game managers remove 2 parents this past weekend for unsporting outbursts. These were 6th grade games.

I use to organize and run leagues as a profession and we as an organization had pre season meetings and post season meetings to discuss parent's behavior. These types of meetings were important and valuable. And obviously don't happen nearly enough.

With that said, I have never had to remove a spectator from a high school game or any age higher.

[KevinP]

I called a PC foul on the home team, I go to report it, the official scorekeeper, who happens to be the home team coaches son starts shaking his head at me and mouthing, "no way" no way",,, Thats the closest Ive come to removing person,,, funny thinking about in now but not at the time.