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Hosted by Regis Tremblay and Ted Talbot
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""You suck, ref." "Call 'em both ways." "Take the blinders off." "Just let them play." "I never touched him." "Are you serious?" Hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer, football. It doesn't matter. You will hear these words at any youth sporting event. They are uttered by parents, coaches, and even the kids. The tone is always angry and hostile. At professional sporting events, officials are routinely booed when they are introduced. Their entrance is often accompanied by "Three Blind Mice," or the theme from the old Dragnet show. The epithets and derisive music characterize how we feel about game officials. Abuse of officials is so common and ingrained in our culture that many fans do not even realize what they are saying. Many coaches and parents are convinced that game officials are involved in a plot against them. Abuse of game officials is a very alarming trend that has been growing across North America. Two years ago all of the Canadian amateur hockey referees went on strike to protest the constant abuse and threats they receive. South of the border in the U.S., at least a dozen municipalities and states have enacted laws making it a crime to abuse officials. According to the National Association of Sports Officials’ survey of state high school associations, 90 percent said there is a shortage of officials. The main reason for the exodus: poor sportsmanship by spectators, coaches, and players. The Indiana High School Association, with 7,000 licensed officials received more than 900 unsportsmanlike-conduct reports in seven sports in 2002. We've commented on numerous headlines around the country that document physical attacks on youth officials by angry parents and coaches. Some have been sucker-punched, beaten with baseball bats, and even shot. Many more have been threatened. It isn't just verbal abuse officials have to worry about these days. They now have to worry about their own personal safety. This widespread abuse of officials by parents and coaches, not only has gotten out of hand, but what does it say about the lessons our children are learning from our behavior at their sporting events that are supposed to be about fun, good sportsmanship, and fair play? We never had those problems when we played on our own as kids, and learned to solve our own problems in ways that kept the games going and everyone playing. Since parents have become so over-involved in youth sports, the games kids play have taken on a very ugly appearance, and begs the question: would the kids be better off if nobody came to watch them play? My guests will be Kevin Woodhouse, S. Portland High Athletic Director; Bill Gallagher the assignor and rules interpreter for high school hockey in Maine; Ray Levesque, Maine NIHOA Chapter President; Dean Gilbert, on-ice official for high school, college, and the Quebec League; Reggie Grant, the Board Rules Interpreter for high school basketball officials in Western Maine; and Bob Coffman, who has been officiating basketball for 25 years. In this show, we'll find out who these people are that subject themselves to constant abuse, baiting, and derision, and we'll learn why they do it. We will also learn why it has become increasingly difficult to find and retain game officials for all levels of youth sports. We'll want to know how they are trained and certified. Are they required to involve themselves in ongoing professional development? Does anyone evaluate their performance? We'll hear what they have to say about coaches who try "to work the officials." And, we'll want to know if arguing with officials ever gets them to change a call. Some of the questions I'll ask will be to find out if officials are biased, come to the games with "attitudes," and whether they have it in for certain coaches, schools, and kids. I'll also want to know how they feel about enforcing "Zero Tolerance" policies that ban abuse, violence, and unsportsmanlike behavior from coaches, fans, and players. It isn't often that the general public gets an inside view of who these people are that referee our kids' games, and why they do it. This show will shed new light on how important they are, and how seriously they take their responsibility. Since it is unlikely we'll ever return to the days of the Sandlot where kids refereed their own games, we really can't afford to live without them.
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Purchase Reclaiming The Timeless Value of Sport and Play A new book by Regis Tremblay |
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You can help support the show by making a tax-deductible contribution to:
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© Copyright 2004 Kids First In Sports, Health, and Education |
