Officiating: Is It Really THAT Easy?
It’s a “walk”, it’s a “reach”…no it’s an uneducated fan. Why do so many feel two or three officials aren’t enough? Why are so many confident in their own knowledge that they must scream at the game officials on a continuous basis?
In many sports within the MHSAA, we are experiencing a shortage of gaming officials. In August of 2004, the MHSAA started a campaign where they sent postcards saying, “We Want You Back” to several officials who had quit. Why would they quit in the first place?
Surveys were sent along with the postcards, and the results show that officials are leaving for many reasons, but one important one happens to be sportsmanship and the way they felt like they were being treated.
Officials are important for many reasons. It is obvious one of their primary functions happens to be enforcing the rules that apply to a particular sport. Their meaning, however, goes deeper. Officials must maintain a sense of professionalism, but why? They are the ones wearing the MHSAA emblem. In fact, gaming officials are the only ones you will see at a contest bearing the official logo. Thus, they are the vehicles of communication between the MHSAA and member schools, that is, they bring the rulebook to each game.
So back to the original question, why do so many fans scream? The answer is two-fold. One, fans seem to think they possess a knowledge of the rules. After all, if someone is going to scream, “walk” they have to think they know what it means. Even granting the fan is right in what they yell, this still presents a problem because it hurts the principle of high school sports.
High school sports must be about more than winning. It has to feature sportsmanship, team, and growing as a person. One needs to teach a student athlete to face adversity in a mature fashion – one that will send a message as to how to handle future issues in life.
Would one condone these student athletes talking back to teachers, administrators, coaches, or their parents? Absolutely not, for these actions we expect them to be punished, because we as a society feel that it is disrespectful to talk back to authority. Why is it any different with gaming officials? Aren’t they the MHSAA certified authority for the game? Thus, the parents that scream constantly at the officials are showing their children that talking back to authority is ok anytime you think you are correct.
Of course, this problem is compounded greatly by the fact that most fans screaming about calls have no command of the rules whatsoever. Most don’t know a “walk” doesn’t exist. Most don’t know a player can slide across the entire length of the court without committing a violation. Most don’t know the three-point rule judging backcourt violations. Most don’t know what defines illegal contact. Most don’t know a “reach” is not a foul. Most don’t know the difference between a block and a charge. We all hear “over the back” often. Too bad it doesn’t exist. If officials call too many fouls they are too egotistical and power-hungry. If they don’t call enough, they will be creating a danger zone where kids could get hurt. In other words, they just can’t make anyone happy.
Screaming at officials goes past just not knowing the rules. It includes a parents inflaming desire to become as integrated with a child’s athletic life as possible. Many parents complain when journal writers do not list every accomplishment made by their child in a particular game. Many others complain to the coach or administration about playing time. At times, parents seem to think that the best outcome for a team is centered on the best outcome for their child. The best decision to make regarding the application of the rulebook is no exception to this. These types of parents feel those closest to them should rarely be inconvenienced by the tragedy of a whistle.
We’ve all heard that phrase, “Parents sometimes live through their children.” It seems to apply here, as does human nature. Humans hate being called out for their mistakes. When officials call “fouls” or “violations” they are calling out mistakes. The irony to this is the fans, players, and coaches rarely allow for officials to make mistakes. Thus, when they make mistakes and are called on it, they get offended. When an official makes a mistake, they intend to confront the official, sometimes abusively. It’s a double standard that many have been guilty of before. Nevertheless, parents seem to get as offended – if not more offended – by an officials whistle than the players.
Thus, one reason a parent should never scream at officials is because it could very well embarrass their son/daughter. Some people like those that scream and scream without purpose. Many people, however, do not. As a teenager, hearing a parent and an authority figure yelling pointlessly is a detriment. As already mentioned, we attempt to teach our young ones some concept of authority. It gets lost in meaning if the adults themselves don’t practice it with something such as sports – something meant to be fun and not ultra serious.
Another big reason spectators should stop knocking officials is because of the very nature of officiating. Officiating is an art and a science. It’s a science in that memorizing rules, case plays, situations, and techniques are crucial for a good official. That is perhaps the easier function of the job. Officials are officials because they understand the science behind it, something most spectators who haven’t officiated do not.
Officiating as an art is a much more difficult concept. It’s taking the science behind officiating and actually applying it to the court. Because we are humans, this is where officials will make bad calls. Bad calls must be understood by spectators as necessary and inevitable. They must also understand that officials – particularly at the high school level – are never out to screw a team and rarely out to stroke their egos. Instead, they have a love for the game and an understanding of officiating. They are the caretakers of our sports, and we have been treating our caretakers pretty bad as of late.
So, the next time you are at a basketball game and you yell “walk” make sure to stop and remember that a walk does not exist and that it’s not illegal. Remember next time you yell over the back, it doesn’t’ exist. Remember next time you call that guy/girl in stripes an idiot, he/she is just a normal guy/girl like yourself, the only difference…they know how to officiate.