Pop Warner Violence

AZBlue · #1 (**permalink**) Thu Oct 23, 2003, 04:09pm

Over the weekend, our local Pop Warner League had a "near riot" situation break out during an afternoon game.

Because there was a possible issue with race, many of the participants had been drinking, and the police just wanted to defuse the tension, no arrests were made and it appears that charges may not even be filed.

Here is a link to the story in the local paper:

http://www.westvalleyview.com/WESTVA...65&PubID=11572

I am wondering if anyone here has had any similar experiences (I hope not...) and if you have, how was this addressed with your league/association.

There has been no information put out by the CAFOA, the association which provides officials for these games.

Just sign me....

Rookie Ref wondering what I've gotten myself into!

BktBallRef · #2 (**permalink**) Thu Oct 23, 2003, 05:29pm

The referee should press assault charges against the fan that tackled him. I would!

Snake~eyes · #3 (**permalink**) Thu Oct 23, 2003, 06:09pm

Last year our association had to work a major playoff game, one team(we'll call them team1) side was majority black the other side was majority white(team2). The referee was white and a call was made against the team1 and the fans of that team started yelling that the WH was from team2 location and involved that it was about race.

WH heard talk of guns and had to call the police. Police stayed for the rest of the game, but the WH ended the game early because the team1 headcoach was getting out of hand, and he felt rather than ejecting him he decided to call the game so that there wasn't a riot. After the game WH told assignor that he would never work there again. And had it not been a playoff game, team1s season would have ended anyways.

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As for your situation this would not be tolerated. The organization of team1 was threatened if anymore problems happen then they will be kicked out of the league.

The chairmen of the league is at every one of our association meetings, he has said that if any assualt happens verbal/physical then he will take care of it, and to the full extent of the law. In other words if a coach starts ragging on us verbally and gives us a problem, we just have to tell him and he will read the coach the riot act.

If this team had done this they would have forfeited the rest of the season(like the team above) and their youth club would have ended if anything happened ever again.

Our league does not tolerate any nonsense.

[Edited by Snake~eyes on Oct 23rd, 2003 at 06:11 PM]

Ed Hickland · #4 (**permalink**) Thu Oct 23, 2003, 06:58pm

It is unfortunate that sports have to have color, why not just play the game for what is it?

These young men work so hard starting in the heat of the summer and for many of them into the freezing cold of the winter only to have some well-meaning jerko adult spoil it.

TXMike · #5 (**permalink**) Thu Oct 23, 2003, 07:30pm

Last year when a similar incident happened in S Chicago, the refs refused to work anymore games for the League as the League was doing nothing to punish the offending coach. But he coach was charged and convicted of a minor assault charge in the incident and the League finally punished him. Since in your case it is a fan, the League may not be able to do much. Here in Texas he could be told not to come on the property and then if he was on the property, could be arrested for trespassing.

I sure hope the ref is pursuing the matter with the local prosecutor's office to get the fan charged and hopefully convicted.

TriggerMN · #6 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2003, 10:31am

I'm not even going to tackle the race issue, because that's stupid and one-sided.

But, why in the world were people hitting the sauce at a freaking Pop Warner game? Not to mention the game being played on high school grounds, where alcohol is prohibited. WTF???

Cain · #7 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2003, 10:50am

This is why I quit doing Pop Warner games. Don't need this kind of aggrivation.

Forksref · #8 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 25, 2003, 08:57am

Unfortunately, new officials have to work non-school games to get experience. I worked those games my first year and refused to do it again. It is the worst training ground because you see idiots and catch more flak than in school games. When sports are turned over to parents, they usually mess it up.

Hang in there and get some JH or other sub-varsity games next year. The idiots that coach and run non-school teams don't deserve good officials. The kids do, but the parents don't care about the kids or they wouldn't act the way they do.