Newspaper Article

BktBallRef

Freddy wrote
+1-1/2

Plumber. 😉

Sometimes an idiot, even in print, needs to be called out.

Freddy

bktballref wrote
plumber. 😉

-1-1/4
😉

bktballref wrote
sometimes an idiot, even in print, needs to be called out.

+7/8
🙂

Terrapins Fan

We usually get at least 1 article complaining about the referees every year in our local newspaper. When I get home this evening I will hurt the last 1 that was written. It wasn't too bad but last year there was a skaving article.

Terrapins Fan

This was a recent one, It's from one of the local writers

Technically speaking, it’s become a bit of a problem.

And it raised its ugly head Friday night when four technical fouls were called in the Bishop Walsh-Allegany City League boys basketball game. Three were against Bishop Walsh.

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s three City games, five technical fouls. And, unfortunately, two of those games were decided by a grand total of five points.

A week ago, a technical led to Fort Hill getting two foul shots in a game with Allegany, which moved a 64-62 lead to 66-62 with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter.

Fort Hill won 68-66.

Friday night, two technicals led to the disqualification in the second quarter of Bishop Walsh 6-6 center Quincy Redmon.

Bishop Walsh lost 64-61.

It goes on if you want to read it. From what I have heard, the "T"s were very justified, profanity was used in all 3.

This was from a couple of years ago

Where do Refs Come from?
If you’ve been to any local basketball game lately, from grade school to high school, you’ve probably witnessed some form of bad call. No foul where there should have been one, a foul where there should not have been one, possible favoritism, one ref says one thing another says something else etc., etc.. My question is simply this, Where do the referees come from?
I’ve never seen an employment advertisement for them. What are their recommended credentials? They just show up at the game as we parents do. Who trains them and where are they trained? Is there a rule book they are referencing from like the one they have in baseball? Did they ever play or coach basketball before in their life? Shouldn’t it be mandatory to be a previous coach or player?
I think as a community, we need answers. My family has sat at games before where there weren’t fouls called because I don’t believe the ref knew there was a foul committed. Coaches and fans had to yell what the foul was to get the ref to call it and then risk getting a technical foul because you become frustrated.
At a recent basketball game, there were seven fouls on one team in the first minute and a half of the game, “supposedly,” and a lot of the rest of the game the refs looked to a woman taking stats as to what fouls to call and a young ref who normally didn’t blow the whistle at all was whistle happy that night and had to be constantly corrected on where the ball really went. At the end of that game, people were told about the ref and his grudges (hearsay).
Come on, this is pathetic. And this happens at both ends of the county. Kids actually sit the bench because coaches have a grudge against parents (yes this is hearsay to0).
At a game last week I heard a man from a Maryland team yell out a four letter word and his little daughter, about five years old with a sucker in her hand, looked up at him and laughed, jumping up and down as if to say I want to be like him some day.
At a triple header the other day, boys were being purposely tripped and fouls were not being called when players were practically riding our guys backs, elbowing us on purpose, foul language, not a foul got called, ridiculous!
This is what causes poor sportsmanship. CALL IT ! Or find someone who will be fair.
On Wednesday February 3, we read the paper and WVU’s student section had to be warned to keep down their language at basketball games, I wonder if this came from early on, it’s quite possible. Yes we are passionate and competitive about sports in West Virginia, but what’s happening here?
Here’s my theory. Poor refereeing early on, leads to heated tempers, leads to bad attitudes and arguments and particular teams are getting a bad rap.
Refs don’t want to ref certain teams anymore because of all the yelling and I can’t say I blame them but, think about it. It all comes down to the referee!
Our teams are paying for it because the ref doesn’t know his stuff and as a result other teams cancel when they play us because we get upset and have to yell foul when he doesn’t know his stuff.
There are good referees out there and I apologize to the ones who do such a great job. Thank you, you know who you are by the amount of yelling and profanity you hear at the games you ref. I wouldn’t want the job.
If the coaches and the parents on both sides are yelling what fouls are being committed, there’s a problem and the refs should have already blown the whistle. I don’t much care if someone wishes to criticize what I have to say, I believe in freedom of speech just as much as the next guy. I simply hope the local refs read this and regroup, leave it at the door, don’t show favoritism and learn as much as you can, doing your job and do it to the best of your ability. We pay you for this, We need QUALITY!
If the crowd is down right nasty, polish your knowledge, there’s something wrong. Yes, you’ll always have that nasty few and if you don’t think the job is for you, back away and let someone who is more knowledgeable do it.
Yes this generation is different from the ones before but, respect can still be taught and earned. The Gene Scaletta tournament is coming up March 1.
I wish the referees all the best and may this article bring the importance of knowledge of the game to the attention of each referee.

Mark Padgett

Shouldn’t it be mandatory to be a previous coach or player?

Sure - and it should be mandatory to be a passenger or a flight attendant prior to becoming an airline pilot. 🙄

26 Year Gap

I just had the pleasure of reading a story about the MS girls team where I work. It included a line about a rumor that the girls' team had not scored a FG all year. (Not true). THEN, the "reporter" included a 'moral victory' line when the girls scored their first two FGs of the year. How hard is it to ask the coach about such a rumor? Some reporters do a great job, but others are way below coaches on the intelligence scale.

yooperbballref

Rich wrote
I drove home last night, over 100 miles, on snow covered roads. It took me over 3 hours to get home. I have a check in hand for $115 (including $50 mileage money). Anyone who thinks we're doing this for the money (especially those of us who travel long distances to work varsity games) is a complete fool.

Funny you happen to say that... this game the two of them went 100 ONE WAY and when got there they were handed a check for 60 dollars (50 for the game and 10 for mileage) what a joke!!!!

yooperbballref

Freddy wrote
Interesting that the initiator of this thread also chose to become involved in the post-article comments. I've seen plenty of online trashing of officials, sometimes of my crew. But I've never chosen to become involved in the subsequent circus of commentary. With solid evidence (opposite of "opinion") to the contrary of the writer's opinion (opposite of "evidence"), I've been tempted, but always allowed their low-information ignorance to run rampant without my trying to straighten it all out.
I think I'm gonna continue that policy for myself.
Doesn't seem worth it, in the long run. Do you?

I didn't post anything in the post comments...

Freddy

yooperbballref wrote
I didn't post anything in the post comments...

Nice.

I guess "YooperBill" and "yooperbballref" are not the same.

Sure are a lot of guys calling themselves "Yooper Something-or-Other" up there! 😀

Confusing to us "Trolls", I guess. 😮

yooperbballref

Freddy wrote
Nice.

I guess "YooperBill" and "yooperbballref" are not the same.

Sure are a lot of guys calling themselves "Yooper Something-or-Other" up there! 😀

Confusing to us "Trolls", I guess. :o

Yooper and proud of it 😀

fortmoney

What are their recommended credentials? They just show up at the game as we parents do. Who trains them and where are they trained? Is there a rule book they are referencing from like the one they have in baseball? Did they ever play or coach basketball before in their life? Shouldn’t it be mandatory to be a previous coach or player?

gold

twocentsworth

this isn't "yellow journalism"...this is simply a poorly-written column by a writer expressing his opinion of what he saw. he may be right or he may be wrong - since none of us were there, we cannot form an accurate judgement as to the validity of his column.

it certainly will strike most people that this level of criticism of high school officials is exceedingly rare and in poor taste. there is a reason that this type of public criticism is very unique....most people view it as unacceptable.

ODog

twocentsworth wrote
there is a reason that this type of public criticism is very unique....most people view it as unacceptable.

Unless you're in the stands. There it's become the rule, not the exception.

just another ref

Sometimes there is another side of the coin. Quite a few years ago now, an article appeared in the local paper here. It was about an official calling it quits after a long career and, as I recall, was very sympathetic to his perspective. The notable quote from him was something like:

"Now the main objective of the game seems to be beating an opponent in any way you can, as badly as you can, and then to get in his face afterward. I've had enough."

I can relate.

KenThree

Da Yoopers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This should explain why they are all Yoopers up there, hey. 🙂

JRutledge

just another ref wrote
Sometimes there is another side of the coin. Quite a few years ago now, an article appeared in the local paper here. It was about an official calling it quits after a long career and, as I recall, was very sympathetic to his perspective. The notable quote from him was something like:

"Now the main objective of the game seems to be beating an opponent in any way you can, as badly as you can, and then to get in his face afterward. I've had enough."

I can relate.

I can agree with that attitude of the participants, but I certanly do not officiate for the players or the coaches. I officiate because I love the game and love the competitiveness I have to do my best and to be the best I can be.

And it just makes me laugh how ignorant fans are about these things and certainly media people.

Peace

deecee

just another ref wrote
Sometimes there is another side of the coin. Quite a few years ago now, an article appeared in the local paper here. It was about an official calling it quits after a long career and, as I recall, was very sympathetic to his perspective. The notable quote from him was something like:

"Now the main objective of the game seems to be beating an opponent in any way you can, as badly as you can, and then to get in his face afterward. I've had enough."

I can relate.

I have never officiated for any other reason than I enjoy it. Yes I played, yes I also coached but I don't do it for the kids and I don't care either way for them. I just enjoy the challenges of officiating. Especially the one where I have to be impartial to all parties at all times and above all else.

Officiating for any other reason is just not a good way to approach this hobby/avocation/profession/career IMO.

26 Year Gap

Not all are like the one in the OP, of course. After a tightly fought rivalry game, I saw the local sports editor in the parking lot. He commented on how well the game was called with all of the tension, etc. I then explained to him what had occurred on one particular play, which was a technical foul for a DOG violation after a warning. He took out his notepad and wrote it down and used that reference in his writeup. He learned something, he was appreciative, he kept it anonymous, and he appeared to be a writer who knew a lot about the game to his readers. It was a play that only about 3 knew about with any certainty. It all boiled down to mutual respect...something that is in short supply.

JRutledge

I have seen many writers that are very responsible and very professional. And it was not very professional to write what he did without some game information that would have backed up even the slightest claim that the officials made mistakes. Even if he was right in some of his observations, it is not very good reporting not to back that up with some numbers or information that says something appeared to be wrong.

I will never forget an article that was written about a playoff game where the coach of the winning team accused the IHSA of basically setting up his team by the location of the game and the officials that were assigned. To make a long story short, the reporter properly quoted the coach but at the end showed the number of FTs shot and missed by this team. I thought it was brilliant because there was no brow beating about what happen in the game or the role of the officials in that game. It was a brilliant article.

Peace

Pantherdreams

Problem here is you've got what appears to be a news piece that is an unsubstantiated rant. The only commentary/ issues are anecdotal. I saw this, I saw that. Free throw dispcrepancy is not an indicator. Though the idea that one team is in zone committing more fouls then a team clutching and grabbing all over the floor seems like there might be something more there then we are hearing about from the coach.

Bottom line unless someone has video evidence of missed calls/ blown calls (not subjective foul calls) on the OOB or travels this is just incendiary for no other reason then to evoke response. MOving on.

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