Sports culture question (1 Viewer)

[Gr00vus]

In what other profession do complete strangers with no qualifications to perform the job feel justified in yelling insults while the person is actively trying to do their job?

Professional message board posters. I.e. Timshoochie.

 

[Bull Dozier]

Coaches get on officials because it works. You get the next call if you can do it within reason. You'll never convince me otherwise.

Parents, I'm less sure. I think they like to show off that they know rules.

Oh it can definitely help coaches if they do it properly. Refs usually know when they've made a mistake and a coach pointing it out properly will get them to work harder not to screw that same team again. Lazy refs will give a makeup call. ##### refs will punish the coach for pointing it out. I've been accused of both, but I've never honestly tried to give a team a makeup call or punish a team. Sometimes a play will allow for a call to settle down things. Sometimes a play will allow for things to escalate. I do my best to call what is in front of me, but there are times when we get together and say, "lets not miss any fouls on this end".

The three biggest things that coaches complain about that will get a response are illegal screens, 3-seconds in the lane and off ball fouls on the defense. Those are things that are easiest to miss by an official. On ball fouls and travelling are rarely missed because you should always have eyes on the ballcarrier.

It's interesting you say that because that is my biggest gripe with offciating at the junior high level. There is a significant percentage of schools that use screen predeminantly in their offense, yet their don't teach how to screen properly, so most of their screens are illegal. It is extrenely difficult to defend this kind of offense if the refs let them get away with moving screens. Drives me nuts.

 

[nirad3]

Coaches get on officials because it works. You get the next call if you can do it within reason. You'll never convince me otherwise.

Parents, I'm less sure. I think they like to show off that they know rules.

Yup. I am coaching 3rd and 4th grade basketball right now and for the most part, the parents have stuck to cheering only...

But there've been some instances where they felt the officiating was especially bad and they've gotten into territories where I'd rather they let me and the other coach handle things.

I reffed in college, coached 7th/8th grade about 10 years ago and have been playing for 35 years so I'd like to think I know the game fairly well. There've been some very good officials in this league and some that are absolutely terrible. It's a tough age group to ref since the skill level is all over the place, but a few officials simply don't understand how to "call it both ways".

I had a ref stare me down like he was going to come break my face a couple weeks ago, and I really wasn't saying anything bad at all. I think he was just having a bad day and needed to take it out on someone.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Curious is this was triggered by the Calgary Flames' Dennis Wideman crosschecking a linesman the other day. Sure has brought official abuse to a new level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhnY1knUEW4

I'm sure there is lots of talk about this in the hockey thread but that wasn't "intentional" IMO. He was dazed and thought he was pushing an opponent out of the way to get to the bench. In no way did he think "hey, there's a linesman, I'm going to crush him for no reason!".

My opinion would be to the contrary.

You believe he specifically targeted the linesman? For what reason?

We'll never know obviously but I just can't see why he would do that.

Irrationally mad about a perceived non-call.

Linesman cannot make that call.

That's why it was irrational.