In Argyle, about two weeks ago, two high school basketball referees were hurt and a Fort Edward man arrested after the man allegedly attacked one of the referees after a girls junior varsity basketball game, police said.
The person attacking the refs was charged with unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanor, and non-criminal harassment after the confrontation at Argyle High School, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said that the man accosted one of the referees after a junior varsity girl’s basketball game between Argyle and Fort Edward high schools. He is accused of pinning the referee to a wall and refusing to let him leave. The other referee who also worked in the game intervened, there was a struggle, and the second referee suffered a cut hand, sheriff’s Senior Investigator Tony LeClaire said. The ref who was pinned against the wall suffered a sprained finger, police said.
Charges were filed on behalf of the ref who was pinned against the wall, and the other did not seek prosecution despite his injury. The attacker apparently knew one of the referees and was complaining to him about calls during the game when the second referee came to his aid. He was accused of grabbing the second referee by the shirt and holding him against the wall, officials said.
Roger Forando, the region’s referee assigner for girl’s high school basketball, said “sportsmanship” at school athletics events seems to be worsening, pointing to an incident in Whitehall in 2014 and others in the Albany area.
He said there has been 17 problems with fans in Section II this school year, including one at a Glens Falls-Hudson Falls girl’s basketball game in which a water bottle was thrown on the court in the direction of a Glens Falls player.
The Warrensburg-Whitehall boys varsity basketball game was halted just recently because a fan had to be ejected for remarks to a referee, and State Police were called. “We are quite concerned with the escalation of poor sportsmanship at basketball games,” Forando said.
I have been witness to some fantastic moments at basketball games and some absolutely ridiculous moments. Each of the fantastic moments I have witnessed occurred during the games, involving kids and especially as a coach. I would say most of the ridiculous moments occurred after a game, or in the stands, from people that should know better, the adults. They are supposed to be there to set an example for the kids, and cheer them on, while teaching what is right from wrong.
Do referees miss calls? Of course they do! No one is perfect! Do refs have good games and bad games? Yes, they do. Just like players and coaches, referees are human. There is not a single person on this planet that goes through every single day in life without making a mistake. A ref goes out on the floor, or the playing field, with a goal to do the best job he, or she can possibly do during a game. I don't think I have ever known a ref to show up at the gym with the thought in mind of going out on the floor to call the game in favor of one team over the other.
No one is guiltier than me, as a basketball coach, for getting on the refs. I can say at times I was out of line, or just plain over emotional about a call, but let me say this, when that final buzzer went off, so did my emotions. I always left my game out on the floor. There were times, and very few times, I felt we got the short end of the stick. I will confess that in some situations I felt that there might have been a call to get even with me because of my reputation as a basketball coach, but I got over it pretty darn quick. As I aged into coaching, I became more aware of my actions and reactions, and how it affected the team. Ninety nine percent of the time my feelings of what the officials did disappeared before I left the gym, or got on the bus. I never said anything negative to a ref at the end of a game. Given the opportunity, I usually would compliment an official at the end of the game by saying, "good game," or "nice job."
When coaching, I didn't like it when people in the stands failed to understand that the referees were trying to watch all 10 players on the floor, at the same time, and make a split decision in half a second. Two people on opposite sides of the gym have different viewpoints and perspective of the same play. To one person, a play, or a call may look innocent and no big deal, while another person from an opposite perspective will see the exact same play and scream for a call. Remember, when refs are on the floor they may have had a better angle, and from their point of view this is what they saw.
The other thing most people don’t think about is how much easier it is to view a basketball game standing or sitting in the same position, and even from an elevated view. Officials have to worry about moving their feet while looking through players, around players, and getting out of the way of players. A bird’s-eye-view is much easier to see things in the peripheral, or the bigger picture. There is another thing I don’t think parents understand, and at times coaches, that a ref must “see” the infraction to make the “call.”
There are timesthat a ref knows what has happened in a situation, but if he or she did not see what just happened, they cannot make the call on the play. For example, they might hear noise from contact, but maybe had their backs to the situation, so they can't guess what just happened to make the call. I think for an official there is nothing worse than the feeling than knowing they might have missed a somewhat violent interaction, or penalty, especially when a kid gets hurt as a result. It happens, and it might be the biggest dread for an official, because, in reality, refs would like to see a clean and fair game.
How can these situations be prevented - preventing an irate fan from going after an official? There are situations where a ref can eject a fan, with the aid of law enforcement. That always leaves the referee with an uncomfortable feeling of the possibility that there might be some sort retribution by the person expelled. That can't be easy for the official to concentrate on the rest of the game, or getting out of the gym safely. This shouldn't be part of the night for anyone.
So here is my take on what can be the underlying reason for what has been happening, and this isn't just a local problem. A question first: Is there too much media coverage on high school athletics? Is it to a point where, mainly the parents have the delusion that their child is a great athlete and worthy enough to be noticed by a Division 1 college with the offer of a full athletic scholarship? First of all, only 1 percent of high school athletes earn D-1 athletic scholarships. That's a fact, only 1 percent! One of the biggest problems is this can be an egotistical trip for some parents, and realistically and unfortunately it's mostly the fathers who are trying to live out an unaccomplished dream that their kid is the super star that they weren't.
There needs to be some opportunity, maybe provided by the school systems, or even the NCAA, to educate parents on the pros and cons of playing sports. The pro being the participation, as well as developing camaraderie with teammates, and opponents, and mainly being part of something that they should cherish forever.
The con being, that 95 percent, or more, of scholastic athletes most likely will not ever play at a higher level. A referee making a questionable call is not preventing their child from getting that dream athletic scholarship! The reality is that just maybe that child isn't as good as dad, mom or even the athlete might believe.
I have said this before: Let your child have fun playing sports and see them evolve as a good person because of the association and participation that comes with being on a team and playing sports. That's what it means to be an athlete; it's good to have dreams of athletic prowess, but not a dream that's an unachievable egotistical grandeur.
Do remember that a game isn't a game without officiating, and that refs are human like you and me, but however you think the calls go, whether prop or con, those questionable calls will not have an effect on the child's future in athletics. Here's a "make up" call, there isn't any, so enjoy the game and respect those who do what they do without actually expecting recognition for a job well done, the refs!
