I've been the significant other of a football, volleyball and basketball official for several years now. I've learned a LOT about being an official. But one thing I've learned more than any of the other lessons was that I would never want to be one. Unfortunately for the sport, it's a lesson more and more people are learning. It's not because of the kids, it's because of the parents. The loud and outspoken parents. So in jest this year I started creating a BINGO card to take with me to basketball games to pass the time. It's still a work in progress but here's some of the future squares...
*Reach and over the back: These are both fun squares because they are actual calls for fouls that literally DO NOT EXIST anymore. But boy do people still love to holler those out.
*Foul: When you can't come up with a specific name, just yell "foul". It's bound to work.
*Call it both ways: A little game I've played for years is "how long into the game before the first time you hear this one." It really cracks me up when you hear this and check the foul count to see it be tied or very near the same. Irony...
*Over and back: Yep - any time that girl gets near the half court line, start hollering that one.
*Travel: This a personal favorite in those 4,5 and 6th grade games. If officials called travel every time a player took an extra step at that level, games would take 14 hours. Then fast forward to the varsity level and people really don't get the rules of the game.
*Our ball: Every. Single. Time. it goes out of bounds, you must yell this one.
*Just let them play: Either the fans want more fouls called or they are hollering to just let them play. It's a lose lose situation for officials.
*Moving screen: Yawn... yeah, yeah. We know.
*3 seconds: Honestly, how do some people count? 1, 3, 2, 4, 7... How do they not know that 3 seconds starts over every time someone shoots the ball? Sigh...
*That's terrible (or that's a terrible call): When all else fails - just get angry.
As you can see, I'm a few boxes short of a full BINGO card, but then folks aren't that creative with their insults. What you can't see is that the MSHSL is getting to be more and more officials short of a full roster. Tim works every night that he isn't already watching his daughter play or scheduled off for another meeting or appointment. He isn't the only overworked ref. Games are having to be rescheduled or cancelled due to lack of officials. But like I told Tim, there are lots of qualified folks in the stands. Maybe they just aren't sure how to become an official official. They are pretty good from the bleachers. He needs to just get some pamphlets made to share.
Or.... if you don't want to get a shirt, whistle and give up your family time you could, you
know, it's like you were supposed to learn as a child, "If you haven't got something nice to say... don't say anything at all."
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