Maybe it’s something about basketball.
Of course people yell at high school referees at all types of sporting events. And most of the time the comments are pretty ignorant.
But in sports like football, soccer and hockey, the refs are some distance away, and probably can’t hear a lot of the stupid statements coming from the bleachers.
But basketball is different. The fans sit right on top of the action, and a lot of schools draw pretty small crowds, so everyone can hear it when someone starts scolding the officials.
I find it embarrassing, sometimes to the point of being intolerable.
A few weeks ago I covered a game at the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame holiday basketball tournament at Reeths-Puffer High School. The crowd, for the most part, was well behaved.
But there were several middle-aged women in the stands who were obviously rooting for the Muskegon Big Reds. They were very loud throughout the game, which would have been fine if they were simply cheering on their team. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
Every time Muskegon was called for a foul, they started hooting and hollering at the poor referees.
I think they should have been escorted from the building, without a refund for the price of their ticket.
I remember years ago covering a girls basketball game at Orchard View High School, where most of the few dozen fans in attendance lost their composure and started screaming at the refs. Before long the athletes, following the example of the so-called adults in the crowd, started whining and complaining to the refs, as well.
Everyone in the bleachers should have been cleared from the building before the game was allowed to continue. It was a huge embarrassment for high school sports.
There was no question that the game was poorly officiated. The referees made one obvious bad call after another, against both teams.
But so what?
We’re talking about teen-age athletic events, folks. The main idea is to teach teamwork, sportsmanship and respect for authority. How can the kids learn any of that if the people in the bleachers – quite often their parents – angrily belittle the referees every time they make a call?
I know the old argument – people pay the price of a ticket, and they have the right to cheer, boo or criticize anyone they want. That’s certainly true at pro sporting events, where the players and referees are among the best in their professions, and make a lot of money doing what they do. They willingly expose themselves to public criticism. It’s all part of the game.
I suppose the same could be said for high level college sports, where tickets are expensive and the universities make a great deal of money.
But what kind of moron would embarrass themselves (and the young athletes) by sitting in the stands and screaming about the calls in a high school game? Unfortunately there are far too many of them.
Granted, the quality of officiating in high school sports is sometimes not so good. But what do people expect at the prep level? These folks are making peanuts for their efforts – maybe $60 per game – and that’s not enough money to attract NBA-quality refs.
We’re lucky we can find people with thick enough skin to officiate these games.
High school players make a lot of mistakes over the course of a season, because they are high school players. We forgive them because they are still learning at the lower levels of their sport.
The same can be said for high school referees. They do not do this for a living. These are mostly people with full-time day jobs, basically volunteering their time at night so the high school games can be officiated.
They do not promise perfection. Some are still learning how to ref, just like the players are learning to play. This is high school. There’s a learning curve for just about everyone involved.
Can’t we all just take a pill and relax a little bit, instead of falling all over each other when a ref fails to call an obvious infraction?
They say kids learn about life through high school sports, and I think there’s a lot of truth to that. One lesson is fundamental – wherever these kids go in life and whatever they do, there will usually be other people in charge. Sometimes those people won’t be completely competent, and sometimes they will make questionable decisions.
But they have been designated to make the decisions, and employees must respect that. Those that don’t will quickly be shown the door. That’s the way life goes.
Good high school coaches convey a simple message to their players – the referees are in charge, they make the calls, and their decisions must be respected. If anybody questions a ref, it should be the coach, and that should be done in a respectful manner.
When coaches, players and fans lose their composure and start screaming at referees, the entire lesson about accepting decisions we can’t control is lost. Then the whole purpose of high school competition is lost.
That should never be allowed to happen.
For those people who just can’t attend a children’s game without yelling at the poor refs, all In can say is get a life, or at least some serious counseling. And if you can’t contribute to the “positive environment” that the Michigan High School Athletic Association calls for, please just stay away from the games.
I agree but, do we really need to call out a particular school? I have had kids play at varsity and college level for many years and we need to be consistent and there are many schools that have issues with this, not just Muskegon.
I too agree to a point. While it might be admirable that these officials are doing this on top of a regular job, they are still getting paid to do a job. so at $60 a game, that is roughly $30/hr. If i did as poorly at my job as some of them do at officiating i would not last long. There is a difference between being inexperienced and just not caring. I've seen some officials who couldn't care less about the game and more about being the focus. There are several levels to officiate (middle school, Freshmen, JV, Varsity) – if you are consistently rated as a poor official, you should not be doing Varsity games. Especially ones that are showcase tournaments. I've been asked many times to sign up to officiate if i think i can do a better job – my response is always the same: i tried officiating long ago, realized i was no good at it and couldn't continue to take schools money for a job i was no good at. I just wish some of the officials out there could do the same.
I'm having a hard time seeing the difference between your article and the fans at these games you're referring to. You have the right to voice your opinion and belittle others, but the don't? Sounds a tad bit hypocritical to me. Letting a ref know you disagree with his call is part if the game to me. As long as they are not being threatened or cursed at I don't see the wrong. Also, calling out a specific school was in very poor taste in my opinion
The ref's do have the power to call a tech on a team, if it is that out of control!!
Hey, I coached, I reffed and I've sat in the stands. I say let em yell or boo. Until they swear, curse, throw stuff, threaten, or yell at the players themselves in derogatory fashion.
I think this is a great article that addresses an issue is all sports, not just basketball, and is present is most schools, not just those mentioned here. I find it interesting that the players typically aren't the ones yelling at the officials because they have several levels of accountability – coach, ref, AD, parents, etc. – to whom they must answer. To whom do the parents answer?
Also, this topic brings up the concept of respect for authority, whether or not you agree with them. What type of example is being set? If a kid sees his mom or dad ripping the ref a new one because they disagree with them, what stops the kid from treating any other authority figure with the same level of respect when they disagree? No wonder many teachers struggle with classroom management when kids have that type of example to follow.
Perhaps the responsibility of monitoring fans' behavior should fall on the AD, or site supervisor, rather than the ref. so they can focus on the game.
The reason we don't have good officials is because of these people. Young officials like myself usually don't stick because they find out early that it is not worth it. They don't get the chance to learn and so we are stuck with what we have which many times are older officials that should have been retired by now. But at the same time if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be able to play the games. Fans, coaches, and administrators are to blame.
If the comments get vulgar ,throw them out.
Well if its OK for fans to yell and scream at the refs then you would have no problem with the refs yelling and screaming at the players when they disagree with how the kids are playing. In order to "get respect" you must first "give" respect. You may have a #1 rated team but it means nothing if you fans who are part of the game do not act like #1 fans.
Mike Natte Sr. Our kids are told by refs during games that they are bigger, more athletic and stronger so they can withstand the fouls where some of the other teams can't. An email was sent out to refs around the state with pictures of our kids and so called "equipment violations" by Muskegon kids. Not for them to be on the lookout in general but specifically Muskegon kids. Now you and this article are singling them out. Why you went there, I'm not sure because I never mentioned any specific team. But as a parent I'm going to defend my kid when I feel that they are being mistreated. Often times blantantly mistreated. Regardless of the format. They're refs. Not Gods. So to answer your question, if an ADULT ever gets in my son's face and screams at my CHILD there will be repercussions. If they don't like the way our kids are playing than blow the whistle. Our kids are very respectful to refs and adults in general. Even though they KNOW they are being mistreated. All we have ever asked for is equal treatment. If it's a foul on one end then it should be a foul on the other end. And if not I will voice my opinion. Like I said, as long as my words aren't threatening or disrespectful than I can very well say what I please, and how I chose to say it.
Do coaches yell and criticize their players? Yes they do because there trying to make them better players. I think the refs need the same thing. How are they going to learn from their mistakes if they are not called on it. I understand the object of sports and how it teaches our kids how to react to certain things in life. But what does getting screwed by a poor official teach them? You say it`s only high school sports like it means nothing. A lot of kids ride this to college even pros that other wise would not have a chance. I have a method of dealing with officials. Even if they are bad as long as they are consistant it usually slides. It`s the ones that are all over the place that do damage. Officials can change out comes and I have watched several make sure that they do that. Making officials out as being saints for the cause is wrong because there are plenty of them out there that have other agenda.
Hi Jay,,, How are you doing?
Nice set up