Radio Broadcasts Officials Name and Hometown on calls they don't agree with.

camaulds · #1 (**permalink**) Sat Nov 03, 2001, 10:32pm

MSU 26 U of Michigan 24...In the game several big calls by Officials on the field went against the U of M. Subsequent review on TV showed that game Officials had correctly ruled on each play.

The broadcast team placed blame for the loss squarely on the shoulders of the game Officials. This was stated repeatedly in the post game and was punctuated with the statement that the Big 10 will never compete for the National Championship while such call are allowed. The game Officials provided the U of M and MSU a fair game for each team. The statement suggest that game Officials must favor Michigan if the Big 10 is ever to compete. I have heard these types of statements from this broadcast team for years and now they have taken it to a greater more serious level. Intimidation of future game Officials.

After one particular call against the Wolverines the broadcast team for U of M annouced the name of the Official making the call and his hometown. They also expressed how bad the call was in their opinion.

I have heard this particular broadcast do this previously. They regularly hammer Officials from the Big 10. Whether the calls are right or wrong it should never be appropriate for broadcast teams to announce the name and hometown of Officials making those calls.

What does this broadcast team possibly expect to gain from such a practice? What are they trying to do to the game Official involved? It seems to me they are encouraging reprisal. In other words "This guy made a bad call on us so here's his name and city where he lives." If this is appropriate on the air conduct then why stop there? Why not give his address and phone number as well?

This is a blatant attempt to influence future game Officials!

In the day and age in which we live it is hard, dare we say dangerous, to do what we do without having our name and hometown broadcast after making the tough call.

Imagine having that done to you with all the radios in the stands or having to go home to find a fanatical fan waiting for you. Heaven forbid they take it out on your family.

I don't know who should be contacted at the NCAA, U of M or the home station for the broadcast but clearly something MUST be done before the unthinkable happens to one of the brethren in stripes.

If anyone out there knows who to contact at the NCAA let us all know so we can flood them with protest of this practice.

bluezebra · #2 (**permalink**) Sun Nov 04, 2001, 07:20pm

I've always considered sports broadcasters to be a unique group of no-nothing morons who believe they know more than the officials. Not one has ever read a rule book, and former players are the worst. I'll never understand how someone can play a sport for years and not know the basic rules. The only announcer I ever heard who understands the rules is Chick Hearn of the Lakers. He not only was a player, he was an official.

Here is the URL for the NCAA: http://www.ncaa.org/

You might also try the networks these yokels work for.

Good luck,

Bob

camaulds · #3 (**permalink**) Sun Nov 04, 2001, 10:37pm

I have just finished sending my letter to the NCAA along with my description of the incident...It will be interesting to see what happens from here.

I am curious if any of you are as outraged by this information being given to the broadcast audience or am I over reacting?

I'll post again if I get any reponse from WJR Radio, U of Michigan or the NCAA.

Meanwhile, what do you the reader think about this?

vytis74 · #4 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 05, 2001, 11:31am

I am going to be a first year official, next season. As i'm starting out, I went this past friday to watch a crew work a HS varsity game. There where some fans in the stands yelling at the officials. Nothing obscene, just "hey ref, where the flag" That is to be expected by the fans. But if a radio announcer is airing the officials name and home town, that needs to stop, and should never have been done. Why do the radio announcers have this infromation to begin with? Shouldn't it just be the schools and the coaches who have this information? I'm just curious, as I know ridicule comes with this avocation, and I have no problem with that. Just some thoughts. Post if you get a response from either the NCAA, U of M, or from the radio station. That way we can all send in letters.

Marc

camaulds · #5 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 05, 2001, 05:18pm

Dear Fellow Officials,

Here is the reply I got from the NCAA. I was not aware that the NCAA has no authority over regular season Officiating. You learn something new everyday.

Please read the following and respond to Mr. Bollinger if you feel led.

Cam

Thank you for taking the time to write and express your views. I'm going to
recommend that you direct your comments to the athletics director at the
University of Michigan. The e-mail address for the director is
leecbol@unmich.edu, and the director's name is Lee Bollinger.

The NCAA has no authority over regular-season officiating, game
administration or broadcast rights and teams. All of that rests with the
individual institutions.

Again, thank you for writing, and I hope I have directed you to a good
source for more information.

Wallace Renfro
Director of Pulbic Relations

joe bonner · #6 (**permalink**) Tue Nov 06, 2001, 09:43pm

I will be sending a protest letter to U o M AD . Totally unethical .

camaulds · #7 (**permalink**) Tue Nov 06, 2001, 10:12pm

Unfortunately the email address didn't work for me...If you go to the U of M web site you can send email from there.

camaulds · #8 (**permalink**) Wed Nov 07, 2001, 09:44pm

http://www.BigTen.org will access the Big Ten Home Page...Under the scores section on the lower right is the email address for help and feed back.

The two people to contact at the Big Ten are Jim Delany and Dave Parry.

It would be good for as many of us as possible to write and air our feelings.

It might also be a good idea to write the letters to the editor at the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News.

If anyone gets any feed back, post it here.

Mark Padgett · #9 (**permalink**) Fri Nov 09, 2001, 02:10pm

I am a basketball official who clicked on the wrong link by mistake, but saw this thread title and it piqued my interest.

Here's an idea - why don't you publish the addresses and phone numbers of the broadcasting crew and invite everyone who thinks they are morons to harass them?

BTW - in one of the posts in this thread, it stated that Chick Hearn was a former player and official. Where was this? It was my understanding that Chick came to L.A. from WMRO in Aurora, Illinois in the late 60s.

bluezebra · #10 (**permalink**) Sat Nov 10, 2001, 03:29am

"BTW - in one of the posts in this thread, it stated that Chick Hearn was a former player and official. Where was this? It was my understanding that Chick came to L.A. from WMRO in Aurora, Illinois in the late 60s."

Could it be possible Hearn played and officiated BEFORE he started announcing? He started broadcasting in LA in 1956, doing USC football and basketball. I don't know where Chick played and officiated, but I've heard it mentioned a few times about his career.

camaulds · #11 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 26, 2001, 06:12pm

Just an update to the previous situation.

To date I have received a reply from the NCAA but no other source that I contacted. I have wondered if my letters were read and if anything was done with regard to the affore mentioned problem with the broadcast team. While I haven't physically received anything there is evidence that we have been heard.

I listened to the broadcast of this weekend's OSU/UofM game. There were several controversial moments were calls were made or passed on. At no time did the broadcast crew single out the Official involved and give their hometown. When ever UofM is behind you can count on the 2 Wolverine broadcasters to lambast the Officials. That did happen to a certain extent but they didn't go over the line of common decency by giving out personal information.

Apparently we HAVE been heard. Even if they won't give us the satisfaction of knowing it. Well, we have all been there and done that. We know when we have booted a call or passed when we should have flagged. Then the loud mouth in the stands gets going but we wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing we heard them. Even when we know they are right. Isn't that the worst time of them all? When the loud mouth yells and we have to agree with them? You bet it is! That may be what we have here only this time we are loud mouth shouting from the stands. The worst part for them is we are right and they know it.

They also know we know it! That has gotta hurt almost as much as OSU 26 UM 20

JGF · #12 (**permalink**) Tue Nov 27, 2001, 12:50pm

I think it's a real shame when these broadcasters can slam officials who are doing the best job that they can. There's a lot of money in college football and it would be real tough to do games, and make money, without officials. Out here in the west I follow the Pac 10. I have noticed that other than the Referee, the announcers very seldom if ever name anyone else on the crew. Even when tough calls come up. Also next time you watch an NFL game crew members are seldom identified.