Recently, I’ve encountered a confluence of events which has got me thinking about a topic I know I’ve covered in this space before, but one that deserves review: officiating.
After a basketball game that I did not attend, I had one person tell me it was the worst reffing the entire season. A couple other people backed that up.
I pondered that a bit. I had been at the scorer’s table not long ago on the road when I witnessed a crew that seemed in over their heads. Both sets of fans seemed angry most of the game, and there was a concern of injury since players were getting away with a lot.
Within the same week, I got to see what I thought was the best crew of officials I had seen this season. This group of three was poised, consistent… and still heard it from the crowd.
I’ve seen fans of teams who were ahead by 25 points screaming about calls. I’ve listened to fans of teams who were behind by 25 points screaming about calls. I’ve been screamed at by fans of teams about calls.
I suggested to one spectator after a game I officiated that perhaps he should take up officiating since he seemed to know and see the game so well. He told me he wouldn’t have to yell if we got the calls right.
But do you have to yell when you feel an error has been made? Will it change the call? Do officials really listen to the fans?
The answer to all three questions is no. I’ll often tell coaches they have a right to ask questions and get explanations, but the key is in how they are asked. And I say this as someone who has been on both sides of this equation. I learned over my years of coaching the best ways to let an official know that I thought they were missing something. How did I figure that out? By officiating.
Until you have stepped on a basketball court, or any other sporting surface, as an official, you have no idea what it’s like to be in the midst of the action, watching all the players, and making split-second decisions on rules infractions.
Sitting in the stands gives a very different view of the action. You don’t see that the foot that looks like it came off the floor for a traveling violation actually kept contact with the floor the whole time. You don’t see that the clean block of a shot was accompanied by a hip check. You don’t see that there was actually no contact when the defender reached around the player to knock the ball loose.
That’s not to say the officials get everything right. Of course not. There are 2-3 people watching ten players. Some things will be missed. Some crews call fouls differently than others. That’s the human element of the game.
We have a shortage of officials. Schools would like to have three officials for every basketball game, but that’s simply not doable. Where have all the officials gone?
Honestly, most of them are sick of listening to you bark at them from the stands. Any good official will expect to hear from coaches, but the non-stop bellyaching of fans has driven them out of the profession, even the ones who were considered some of the best. Because for some people, anything less than a perfectly-called game, from their perspective, is unacceptable.
So do me a favor. The next time you feel like yelling at a ref, consider how well you’d do out there. Our school, and every other one, is desperate for people to officiate at the lower levels. Junior high basketball is a great starting point to learn the finer points of officiating and to get used to positioning and how to make calls. Call up any athletic director and they’ll have you on a court within a week. Plus, you’ll get paid!
And you’ll probably get yelled at. Is that worth the money you make? Most people who have officiated for more than a few years continue to do it because they enjoy the game, they like helping kids, and they get a view of the action unlike any other. I’ve never met a ref who thought they called a perfect game; in fact, most of the time, following a contest, officials will visit about tough calls and talk about things they might have missed and how to get better at the job.
If we had more officials, you would see higher-quality officiating at varsity games; it’s simple supply and demand. The more you have to choose from, the better chances of getting good refs.
Officiating is hard. I recently was called upon to referee junior varsity basketball. I’m used to doing junior high and C-squad, and this was a step up. The speed of the game increases each time you level up. There were times I know I missed some things. There were times I just had to try not to get in the way. It was tough. I did the best I could and feel like I called a fair game.
I thought about something as I was in the midst of that game. People in the stands are generally stationary. The refs are in motion much of the time. Sometimes it’s an all-out sprint to keep up with a fast break and then getting in position to see as much as possible in the post area. You see things differently when you are standing still than when you are running. That’s part of what makes the job difficult.
So please just stop with the yelling. Stop with the complaining. There has never been a high school basketball game that is life or death. I want our team to win as much as anyone, but not to that degree. The most embarrassing is when I hear people shout about things that are blatantly wrong. Just. Stop.
Or become an official! We need you!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is louche, which means of questionable character, as in, “The louche fan was always the loudest one when it came to the officiating.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!