GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – After the WIAA released a notice to parents telling them to avoid criticizing officials, one area official says that is just one piece to the puzzle.
Steve Matuszewski, Area Coordinator of Basketball Officials, and a basketball referee says it is important that fans remember that referees have a knowledge of the game, but they are only human.
“They work and 8-hour or 10-hour job during the day and they go out at night to try to do something to help the school or help the kids, and then they get yelled at or screamed at and it is not really that much fun anymore.”
He says when that happens, the number of interested officials start to drop.
“We even hear of more and more referees that don’t want to even give it a try because they say that they don’t want to put up with fans to ref a basketball game.”
A shortage of officials in the WIAA system has been a concern for many years in all sports. While the WIAA made a correlation between unruly fans and the low number of certified officials, Matuszewski says that is just one piece to solving the problem.
“I think it starts with the head coach and how they respond and how they react.”
He says that tends to feed into the crowd.
Another issue is that officials themselves are not supposed to interact with the crowd unless they have to.
“We would like more Athletic Directors to be more proactive in dealing with unruly fans.” Having the experience of scheduling officials, Matuszewski says the WIAA can also help the cause by not scheduling so many games on the same night.
Officials are trained to ask the game manager to talk to or eject an unruly fan. In basketball, it is possible for an official to issue a technical foul to the home team or the team that fan is clearly rooting for. Matuszewski says head coaches are also responsible for controlling their fans.
“Look at the basketball schedule throughout the state. Most games are played on a Tuesday or Friday and not as many on Monday and Thursday.”
He says by moving some games around it would free up more officials because it is hard to schedule a three-person team for that many games at the same time, and you have to take injuries and schedule conflicts into consideration.
“I have had nine officials who have been injured while officiating and are out for the entire season.” Matuszewski from his view on the court, the WIAA is right on in pinpointing parents conduct as a big factor.
“Certainly though fans are crazy and they have to relax.”
WIAA Op-ED
If you are the mother or father of a high school athlete here in Wisconsin, this message is primarily for you.
When you attend an athletic event that involves your son or daughter, cheer to your heart’s content, enjoy the camaraderie that high school sports offer and have fun. But when it comes to verbally criticizing game officials or coaches, cool it. Make no mistake about it. Your passion is admired, and your support of the hometown team is needed. But so is your self-control. Yelling, screaming and berating the officials humiliates your child, annoys those sitting around you, embarrasses your child’s school and is the primary reason Wisconsin has an alarming shortage of high school officials.
It’s true. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, more than 75 percent of all high school officials say “adult behavior” is the primary reason they quit. And 80 percent of all young officials hang up their stripes after just two years of whistle blowing. Why? They don’t need your abuse.
Plus, there’s a ripple effect. There are more officials over 60 than under 30 in many areas. And as older, experienced officials retire, there aren’t enough younger ones to replace them. If there are no officials, there are no games. The shortage of licensed high school officials is severe enough in some areas that athletic events are being postponed or canceled—especially at the freshman and junior varsity levels.
Research confirms that participation in high school sports and activities instills a sense of pride in school and community, teaches lifelong lessons like the value of teamwork and self-discipline and facilitates the physical and emotional development of those who participate. So, if the games go away because there aren’t enough men and women to officiate them, the loss will be infinitely greater than just an “L” on the scoreboard. It will be putting a dent in your community’s future.
If you would like to be a part of the solution to the shortage of high school officials, you can sign up to become a licensed official at HighSchoolOfficials.com. Otherwise, adult role models at high school athletic events here in Wisconsin are always welcome.
