Referees

Notice: This article was written by Steve Jordan, Coach's Notebook. Email the author at sjordan@alaskalife.net.

Can you imagine a job in which no one thanks you for a job well done and yet hundreds, or even thousands, of people scream at you if they imagine that you have made the smallest of errors? Why does anyone become a referee?  Without referees, though, there would be no game of basketball beyond the playground level. Referees provide the most efficient means of settling arguments. As we know, basketball is an emotional game. While arguments are eventually settled on the playground, they would never be resolved in a competitive environment without an impartial adjudicator. Referees also ensure that the rules of the game are followed. Without adherence to the rules, chaos replaces sport.

Why do fans and coaches get so incensed at the calls referees make? One reason is that, despite their intense desire for their team to succeed, they have no direct influence on the game. All they have is the hope of persuading an official to be more "fair". Fans and coaches are terrible at judging fairness of a call, however, because their emotional bias is so strong. Notice that most kids have a much easier time accepting a referee's decision. Not only do players have a better respect for authority (despite the example adults set for them), they also have direct opportunity to control the game.

Another reason referees take so much heat is because whether a call is made or not is up to the referee's discretion. In baseball, for example, an umpire rules on every pitch and every batted ball. In basketball, the defense may initiate obvious contact with the offensive player, but if the referee elects to overlook it, the transgression never took place. The disadvantaged team (and fans) will surely perceive it as a fairness issue.

Players that become distracted by an official's call should be removed from the game until they calm down. Playing basketball demands your entire attention. You can't fully concentrate on the task at hand if you are thinking about a previous call. Usually, when a player complains about a foul, the player is trying to displace blame onto the official rather than publicly accept responsibility for his own actions.

How can a coach learn to deal with referees?

Try these suggestions:

• MOST IMPORTANT! Do not blame the outcome of the game on the referees. As soon as a coach or a player says the game was affected by the officials, they have refused to accept responsibility for their own actions. Once a coach or player relinquishes control of their fate to an external factor, they are admitting defeat. The refs do not miss shots or make bad passes. Focus on the parts of the game that can be controlled and improved.
• Do not allow players to openly criticize the referees. Not only does it distract them from playing, it looks very bad for the coach and the program. People will tolerate (to a reasonable degree) a coach speaking out for the players, but if the players are outspoken it is clear the team lacks discipline and decorum.
• Referees are very, very rarely intentionally unfair. It may seem they are biased at times, but they really do not care who wins. Referees may call hundreds of games throughout the season and may work youth league, adult recreational games and high school games in the same week. The game at hand may be special to you, but to the referee it is not. If you act disrespectfully, you will likely earn a technical foul. In some basketball programs too many technical fouls will cost you your coaching job. In all cases, technical fouls hurt your team, although your team may respond favorably afterward. Its a gamble.
• The referees know the rules better than the coaches, the player and the fans. The refs are tested regularly and must pass written tests as well as be evaluated by their peers. Coaches generally rely on years of experience with the game, but do not study the rulebook. Fans are usually pretty clueless. Good calls favor their team and bad calls are the ones against their team. Spend a few hours studying the rules and if you have a friendly referee that will discuss interpretation with you, take advantage of him. The rules are a powerful ally if they are understood and followed.
• Get to know the referees on a more personal level. You can talk to them before or after the game. They are usually willing to talk to a friendly coach, but will walk off if your intent is to complain.  Introductions before game time are nice, but not very useful. Once the game starts, the refs are not likely to listen to you. A big reason coaches get so demonstrative during the game is because there is no functional dialogue opportunities between coaches and referees besides yelling at each other. It is a weakness in the game's format. Its a sad reality that a coach sometimes needs to earn a technical foul to make a point. Anyway, after knowing some referees on a personal level, its a little easier to understand them.
• Sometimes referees mess up. A conscientious referee will reverse a bad call if possible. Some will provide a "make-up" call, but this is just trying to make a right out of two wrongs. Some referees become very defensive after a gaff and might stop making calls altogether for a while. Nobody's perfect. If you don't berate the ref for an honest mistake, there is a chance you'll see some mercy down the road when its your turn to screw up.
• Referees call a lot more games than you play. If the ref seems complacent or out of position, it is ok to speak up. In fact, there will be occasions when you must lobby for your team. Make your point diplomatically, or use humor if you can. If you're argumentative, you will be ignored, then penalized.

My pet peeve with referees

My pet peeve with referees is about the discretionary no-call that has become so blatant in recent years. For several seasons I took the time to talk with referees before and after games to try and understand why fouls are so often ignored. The most common answer was that if all the fouls were called, the game would take too long and would be boring to watch. The problem with that answer is that, outside of the rules, the referee has made a decision about what's best for your team. If you have a strong, physically blessed team, it will be to your advantage to push, slap and hold the shirts of a weaker team as a long as the referees condone it. In fact, although I despise that style of basketball, I know it is necessary to play that way to compete if the referee is allowing the other team to do the same.

The NBA has become the worst possible influence for young players. Talented players are exalted, paid beyond reason and play as selfishly as they can. In today's corrupted NBA, the rules are forsaken to provide entertainment. Its natural for young players to emulate what is seen on TV, and the style of play in our youth leagues gets rougher and sloppier every season. Unfortunately, too many youth-level referees try to be like an NBA ref, and in their discretionary power, have the audacity to shape the game for the betterment of everyone in attendance.

Basketball has rules to protect its status as game of finesse. Once offending players receive their limit of fouls, they are removed from the game. Loss of playing time is the strongest punishment for a player that loves basketball, and if fouls are called as they happen, the players will eventually adjust and play a cleaner game. If fouls were called as they happen, we would see the end of the ridiculous charade that occurs in the fourth quarter. That charade is when referees who have ignored all but a couple fouls the entire second half, start calling the slightest fouls in the final two minutes. Such behavior is grossly inconsistent.