The most obvious fans are the most obnoxious. Frequently their antics overshadow the really great fans.
I worked a game recently with some truly great friends fans and it started during warm-ups……
Referees try not to have much dialogue with the fans. Almost anything that can happen is not good. A Referee's comment intended to be funny can quickly be turned around into a not so happy response. And when opposing team fans see the Refs being too friendly with their opponents fans they start to suspect the Refs may not be as impartial as possible. That's NOT a good way to start off the game!
But the seats in some gyms are within a few feet of the court sidelines and when the Refs stand near the sidelines during warm-ups some fans like to chat with us. That presents a conundrum for the Ref. Do we stand there ignoring friendly chatter and appear arrogant/pompous or do we turn around and acknowledge a friendly or humorous comment?
The other night the fans were quite chatty, so I turned around and asked, "Did you pay extra for Court Side seats tonight!“
Image by Sheila Herman via Flickr
"Oh Yeah," one fellow said, "big bucks for us Season Ticket Holder's!" (Tickets are the same price regardless of where the fans sit in High School gyms.)
They seemed friendly, so I followed that up with, "Did you pay extra for the 'It's OK to yell at the Refs Ticket?"
"Yep, I bought that, too!“
To which I said, "Well, you'll be likely getting your money's worth out of it when you see some of the crazy stuff I called in this game!“
The several folks along the sidelines laughed and said something along the lines they were looking forward to having fun.
About halfway into the 1st Quarter I was in-bounding the ball near those same fans and I heard a lady behind me say to a fellow fan, "Really!!?? You mean I've been cheering for the wrong team?" (I am supposing she was an out of town relative or neighbor that had come to cheer for the first time?)
I turned to the lady to comment, "If you don't know which team to cheer for you better not be complaining about my Ref calls!“
Starting the 2nd Half I went to in-bound the ball and asked the sideline fans in general, "I haven't heard much yelling, how are we doing?“
"Oh, you guys are doing great!" Several said. Another said, "I'm not getting my money's worth out of my 'It's OK to yell at the Ref' ticket!" (That's always reassuring!)
As we left the court at game's end and I glanced at the sideline fans and got a "thumbs up" signal from several.
That was a whole lot more fun than having to eject a fan……
Refereeing can be very entertaining……
US airways 12/20/2014
No comments:
Post a Comment