Have you ever felt unpopular? Ever had a distinct sensation of being loathed? If not, you've never been a referee. If you've ever wondered what officials must be thinking when almost everyone in a stadium is wishing them personal harm, read on.
There's no perspective quite like that of a referee. Not long after coming to Ball State, I started officiating football and wrestling because I thought it'd be a fun way to stay involved in athletics. Overall, that's true, but it's also an experience for which you can't be totally prepared.
It's an ironclad rule of course that officials can't root for one side or the other. While this neutrality means the referee has no opponent, it also means you have no support when things go badly. At any moment, when a call doesn't go their way, either side will consider you their enemy. All of a sudden, you've gone from having no opponent to being everyone's adversary.
Of course everyone's made jokes before about how bad officials' eyesight must be. One of my favorites is, "You're missing a good game out there!" It's true of course that mistakes are made. After all, like everyone else, officials are flawed human beings.
On February 9, Ball State lost a basketball game to Miami of Ohio on a shot that came two tenths of a second after the final horn. Even the Mid-American Conference admitted this later. I was in the crowd that night; the shot clearly should have been waved off (believe it or not, two tenths of a second in a basketball game isn't nearly as short a time as it sounds). But the referees blew the call and I was booing as loud as anyone else.
Why does it seem --- especially in basketball for some reason --- that referees can't see what you can clearly see from the stands? Mostly, it's because having a stationary perspective in the stands is very different from moving amongst the contestants. If a basketball player steps out of bounds for example, there's a good chance the referee might miss it, even though half the arena gets a great angle.
The crowd can be rough, and sadly things occasionally get out of hand. On February 12, a man in Salem, Oregon attacked a basketball official. Sadly, that's not unprecedented, but what makes the story memorable is that the game was a Boys and Girls Club event featuring third and fourth graders!
Thankfully such events are uncommon and referees naturally learn to tolerate heckling and come into games with thick skin. Odds are fans from both schools are going to boo you at some point during the game (ironically, it may mean you're messing up if they're not).
As for mistakes? Fans, coaches and players all have a right to expect the referee to know the rules of the game and call them fairly. There are few feelings worse than realizing you've made a bad call as a referee. You know it's unfair to the kids and it's quite frustrating for you as well.
Officiating is rewarding but definitely not easy. The next time you think your team got screwed, do your best to be civil and remember the referee is doing his or her best. (That's unless Ball State or the Colts are involved of course. In that case, you really don't have any choice but to let them have it.)
Write to Jake at jymoore@bsu.edu
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