When to be obnoxious

I was at a high school game the other day in which the official was either terribly biased or just plain terrible. After the fourth beyond blatant offsides resulted in a goal (and the eventual margin of victory) I yelled at the ref from the side lines. This guy was so bad a spectator from the other team actually walked over to me offer his condolences. That said, I am sure you can imagine the reaction I got from the other parents around me.

Why is it now that when we see something that is bad in a sporting event we are expected to clap politely and keep out mouths shut? Why are officials who are getting paid to perform a job beyond reproach? Since when is it bad to be competitive or worse yet a fan? Why is wrong to show passionate support for your team? Having been involved in sports my whole life I can tell you that this is not how it used to be.

Re: When to be obnoxious

I was at a high school game the other day in which the official was either terribly biased or just plain terrible. After the fourth beyond blatant offsides resulted in a goal (and the eventual margin of victory) I yelled at the ref from the side lines. This guy was so bad a spectator from the other team actually walked over to me offer his condolences. That said, I am sure you can imagine the reaction I got from the other parents around me.

Why is it now that when we see something that is bad in a sporting event we are expected to clap politely and keep out mouths shut? Why are officials who are getting paid to perform a job beyond reproach? Since when is it bad to be competitive or worse yet a fan? Why is wrong to show passionate support for your team? Having been involved in sports my whole life I can tell you that this is not how it used to be.

The official is bad. And he will stay bad whether you yell at him or not. Yelling at him is not going to suddenly make him a good official.

And to answer the questions in your last paragraph........Because you should conduct yourself with class and dignity.

Re: When to be obnoxious

I was at a high school game the other day in which the official was either terribly biased or just plain terrible. After the fourth beyond blatant offsides resulted in a goal (and the eventual margin of victory) I yelled at the ref from the side lines. This guy was so bad a spectator from the other team actually walked over to me offer his condolences. That said, I am sure you can imagine the reaction I got from the other parents around me.

Why is it now that when we see something that is bad in a sporting event we are expected to clap politely and keep out mouths shut? Why are officials who are getting paid to perform a job beyond reproach? Since when is it bad to be competitive or worse yet a fan? Why is wrong to show passionate support for your team? Having been involved in sports my whole life I can tell you that this is not how it used to be.

you and a parent from the other team have your opinion. perhaps correct, perhaps incorrect. any chance that perhaps you don't really understand OFFSIDE? perhaps you're not on the same line that the referee is and have a different angle of view? I frequently encounter the screams and cries of the parent contingent when a player is clearly WAY behind the defender when they get the ball. just happened a couple of weeks back at a bishop feehan game. of course, what everyone failed to recognize was that the girl who was BLATANTLY past the last defender when she GOT the ball was EVEN with the defender when the ball was played back up the field 35 yards or so.

anyway, to answer your specific question, if I were refereeing, you should become obnoxious when you want to demonstrate to your kids, the other kids, and everyone else in attendance that you really CAN enjoy the game from the parking lot.

ront

[FSM]

Re: When to be obnoxious

I was at a high school game the other day in which the official was either terribly biased or just plain terrible. After the fourth beyond blatant offsides resulted in a goal (and the eventual margin of victory) I yelled at the ref from the side lines. This guy was so bad a spectator from the other team actually walked over to me offer his condolences. That said, I am sure you can imagine the reaction I got from the other parents around me.

Why is it now that when we see something that is bad in a sporting event we are expected to clap politely and keep out mouths shut? Why are officials who are getting paid to perform a job beyond reproach? Since when is it bad to be competitive or worse yet a fan? Why is wrong to show passionate support for your team? Having been involved in sports my whole life I can tell you that this is not how it used to be.

I wonder if you are correct, but as I have been involved in girls/women sports for most of my life I can say it had never been an issue when I was growing up. Of course, nobody went to watch girls play sports anyway when I was growing up, so that might be part of the reason; however, I don't recall it being an issue when my older brothers played sports and I was at a lot of their games.

Some think the trend started with televized professional sports, in particular basketball. When I was growing up, there wasn't a lot on TV, assuming you had a TV. ;) What might be considered acceptable behavior at professional sports has now trickled down to college, high school and kid's sports. I think we all can relate to vocalizing on a questionable call, but how necessary is it to take it to the "obnoxious" level? I would put that type of behavior on the same plain as road rage.

bunny ears in yellow!!

[Fabio]

Re: When to be obnoxious

I was at a high school game the other day in which the official was either terribly biased or just plain terrible. After the fourth beyond blatant offsides resulted in a goal (and the eventual margin of victory) I yelled at the ref from the side lines. This guy was so bad a spectator from the other team actually walked over to me offer his condolences. That said, I am sure you can imagine the reaction I got from the other parents around me.

Why is it now that when we see something that is bad in a sporting event we are expected to clap politely and keep out mouths shut? Why are officials who are getting paid to perform a job beyond reproach? Since when is it bad to be competitive or worse yet a fan? Why is wrong to show passionate support for your team? Having been involved in sports my whole life I can tell you that this is not how it used to be.

The official is bad. And he will stay bad whether you yell at him or not. Yelling at him is not going to suddenly make him a good official.

And to answer the questions in your last paragraph........Because you should conduct yourself with class and dignity.

I agree. It isn't going to change anything. It may though make it worse. Case in point:

I have seen a number of games where play got increasingly dangerous, but referees did not book any players despite the fact that play on the field warranted it REPEATEDLY. A player would then mouth off to the referee about the his failure to make these calls, and he would get immediately booked.

In other words, with some of the less-than-best-referees, the thing they take most seriously is if someone mouths off to them.

That is good reason enough not to antagonize them from the sidelines.

Why is it now that when we see something that is bad in a sporting event we are expected to clap politely and keep out mouths shut? Why are officials who are getting paid to perform a job beyond reproach?

the answer has, and will continue to be- because there is a serious shortage of refs, a shortage made worse by spectators exhibiting behavior you want to accept. if you dont like the quality of calls, take the test and put on the uniform. otherwise view it as part of the game. soccer spectating is far less interesting without referees.

[beentheredonethat]

I have seen a number of games where play got increasingly dangerous, but referees did not book any players despite the fact that play on the field warranted it REPEATEDLY. A player would then mouth off to the referee about the his failure to make these calls, and he would get immediately booked.

I've been known to make my opinion known from the stands. One of the reasons that I do is for just this reason. The players and coach face far more consequences than a fan does.

the answer has, and will continue to be- because there is a serious shortage of refs, a shortage made worse by spectators exhibiting behavior you want to accept. if you dont like the quality of calls, take the test and put on the uniform. otherwise view it as part of the game. soccer spectating is far less interesting without referees.

While I whole heartedly agree with this notion at the youth level, we are talking about the high school level. I've seen a lot of really bad officiating this fall. These guys are getting paid to perform a job and a lot of the ones I saw clearly were not up to the task. If they don't know the rules or are physically incapable of getting up and down the field perhaps they should be encouraged to leave the game.

Some think the trend started with televized professional sports, in particular basketball. When I was growing up, there wasn't a lot on TV, assuming you had a TV. What might be considered acceptable behavior at professional sports has now trickled down to college, high school and kid's sports. I think we all can relate to vocalizing on a questionable call, but how necessary is it to take it to the "obnoxious" level? I would put that type of behavior on the same plain as road rage.

FSM ... I can remember in Jr High having cheerleaders from another school taunting me by singing a song specifically against me. In high school I vividly remember being taunted by fans from the schools. In college I had a grandmother spit in my face while I waited to run on to the field and fans throw bottles at me and my teammates as we came out of the tunnel. I've also sat amongst the Cameron Crazies as one of them. Though I could do without the spitting and bottles, the rest of it actually added to the moment and I wouldn't change those experiences for anything.

I agree with this guy. I think we are getting much too PC in sports and hope the Pats put up 70 on the Colts today.

I understand what the original poster is getting at. The problem with that is there are parents who yell out at every play. Just today at my team's game we had a play where their left fullback was dribbling the ball up the sideline on my side..the coaches side. One of my players was chasing him from the side. Their fullback went to bast the ball long but mis-hit it an rolled his fot over the top of the ball and fell down. Well...all the parents on the far sideline start yelling and screaming and the ref ( who never moved more than 10 yards from the center line the whole game) calls a foul against us. So during a game you get parents who think they saw something while they sit their in their easy chair with their hot chocolate and muffins and meanwhile they have no idea what really happened. And yet on the flip side of this you have the referees who know they have this "zero tolerance" policy hanging over your head so they conduct themselves like know it alls who are beyond reproach and since there are no mechanisms for reasonable feedback without being considered a lunatic then you have this system where there are no checks and balances and no quality control. During the game coaches and players should be allowed to converse with the referees with respect and discretion. Any outbursts designed to embarass a ref should not be allowed. Without discussion the coaches and players must hold their emotions in and then many times they just reach their breaking point and it all comes out in one violent outburst. Until we realize that emotions are part of the sport......any sport...and deal with them in a more professional manner then the quality and quantity of the refereeing core will continue to diminish,

Parents...if you can do a better job then get out there and show us how it's done

During the game coaches and players should be allowed to converse with the referees with respect and discretion. Any outbursts designed to embarass a ref should not be allowed. Without discussion the coaches and players must hold their emotions in and then many times they just reach their breaking point and it all comes out in one violent outburst.

Saw the Aztec's BU12 coach reach what looked to me like a breaking point today and lash out at the ref. Couldn't believe he wasn't thrown out. That ref was particularly tolerant and took a lot of lip from one or two Aztec players without reacting.

"I agree. It isn't going to change anything. It may though make it worse. Case in point:

I have seen a number of games where play got increasingly dangerous, but referees did not book any players despite the fact that play on the field warranted it REPEATEDLY. A player would then mouth off to the referee about the his failure to make these calls, and he would get immediately booked.

In other words, with some of the less-than-best-referees, the thing they take most seriously is if someone mouths off to them.

That is good reason enough not to antagonize them from the sidelines."

Touche.

Fred M.

Intent to injure - yellow cards ?

Saw some ugly play at a tournament game today. (girls)
There were several plays where there was no attempt to play the ball.

The last straw was a shirt grab and tackle at midfield that got the entire players bench off their seats, not just the overreacting parents.
Fortunately, other than the bumps and bruises, there were no apparent serious injuries.

I think the officials do the best job they can, some are just better than others. I am all for physical play, and I love to see a good, legal slide tackle. My problem is when they do not step in to protect the players from unduly rough play, and intent to injure. This particular game reached the point where there were frustrated players just throwing their bodies at the opponent.

Why bring the yellow cards if you are never, ever going to use them.

While I whole heartedly agree with this notion at the youth level, we are talking about the high school level. I've seen a lot of really bad officiating this fall. These guys are getting paid to perform a job and a lot of the ones I saw clearly were not up to the task. If they don't know the rules or are physically incapable of getting up and down the field perhaps they should be encouraged to leave the game.

hopefully when they leave, you will be willing to step up. otherwise we will be watching pickup. most refs i know aren't doing it for the money and most parents who haven't a clue about the rules or how to apply them should spend more time watching and less time complaining.

[beentheredonethat]

hopefully when they leave, you will be willing to step up. otherwise we will be watching pickup. most refs i know aren't doing it for the money and most parents who haven't a clue about the rules or how to apply them should spend more time watching and less time complaining.

My youngest played a game against Unity United out in Ludlow a couple of weeks ago. The referee literally could barely walk. He awarded the game deciding PK from behind the half line. I was even with him and couldn't see a foul much less a PK. Is this what you are referring to as the downside - pick up refs? I would counter that there are more incompetent refs than you would like to believe.

My oldest kid is an official, she does do it for the money and does know the rules. I would contend that money is a issue, when you factor in travel time and only getting 1 game, the money is chump change.

[Cujo]

Re: When to be obnoxious

I was at a high school game the other day in which the official was either terribly biased or just plain terrible. After the fourth beyond blatant offsides resulted in a goal (and the eventual margin of victory) I yelled at the ref from the side lines. This guy was so bad a spectator from the other team actually walked over to me offer his condolences. That said, I am sure you can imagine the reaction I got from the other parents around me.

Why is it now that when we see something that is bad in a sporting event we are expected to clap politely and keep out mouths shut? Why are officials who are getting paid to perform a job beyond reproach? Since when is it bad to be competitive or worse yet a fan? Why is wrong to show passionate support for your team? Having been involved in sports my whole life I can tell you that this is not how it used to be.

Of course you are correct, because on the sidelines you are always in a better position than the ref to determine offside and fouls. Since they are closer to the play they have a worse view than you do. The most competent judges are fans who have never played the game and have 4D vision that enables them to see player positions as if they were on the field even if they are 110 yards away from where the ball is. Furthermore all referees are rooting against your team. In fact they root against both teams. Instead of headgear and beep tests leagues should start mandating muzzles for certain spectators.