March/April 2019 - 8

THE FRONT COURT
A simple solution to
THE REFEREE
SHORTAGE
By Kevin Hoffman, Editorial Director
It has been seven years since we first
heard rumblings that the decline in
registered referees was becoming a real
problem. Today, at least 15 states plus
the District of Columbia have expressed
concern over their shrinking pool of
referees. Three of those states - Texas,
Iowa and Oregon - characterize the
problem as a " crisis. "
In January, a high school conference in Minnesota was forced
to reschedule basketball games after it couldn't find enough
officials to staff games. There's growing fear that this is just the
beginning and it won't be long before teams restructure their
entire season to accommodate the shortage.
That's the problem, but what are the solutions? So far, states
have ramped up their recruiting efforts in an attempt to lure
new, younger blood into officiating. Texas has increased pay
for football referees, but at the end of the day these initiatives
don't address the core reason for the mass exodus: The
treatment of officials.
Referees have become human punching bags for coaches
and fans - a problem that's only getting worse. In 2017, the
National Association of Sports Officials conducted a survey that
found 87 percent of referees suffer verbal abuse. It also found
that more than half of all referees believed sportsmanship was
declining - 39 percent blamed parents, and 29 percent pointed
the finger at coaches.
... If you want high-quality officials on the court,
you must learn to treat them appropriately.
Referees often say what takes place in junior varsity and
freshman games is more troubling than the varsity level. Head
coaches at those stages can be more vicious, maybe because
they're not as experienced or they're basking in the freedom
of running their own program. And it's the JV and freshman
levels where the more inexperienced referees cut their teeth,
meaning there's a higher probability for mistakes. It's a recipe
for confrontation.
Seasoned coaches have probably witnessed - or delivered -
verbal attacks on referees, but if you want high-quality officials
on the court, you must learn to treat them appropriately. It's
also crucial that varsity coaches convey that message to their
assistants, along with the freshman and JV coaches.
Games are rarely, if ever, flawlessly officiated, and it has
been that way since the sport's inception. We can't take
human error out of the game, but what we can do is show
greater respect for those who do their best to give something
back to it. Keep that in mind the next time a call doesn't go
your way.
8 MARCH/APRIL 2019
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March/April 2019

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