Which of the following best describes how the economy has affected your officiating?
(Please choose only one)

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Who should pay for required background checks for officials?

NASO members said:

32%	The state government should offer free screenings.
29%	The state associations.
20%	The school districts.
15%	The officials.
4%	The officials associations.

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How to Build Good Sportsmanship

By Rick Woelfel

The dictionary defines sportsmanship as “conduct and attitude benefiting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy … and grace in losing.” Officials hope every game they work takes place in a sporting atmosphere.

Recently I found myself working some Little League tournament games for the first time in many years. At that level the emphasis is, in theory at least, on sportsmanship and just plain having fun. I enjoyed the experience and so did my crewmates, many of whom, like myself, work other levels.

Sad to say, that sportsmanship emphasis doesn’t always exist at higher levels. But officials can encourage sporting behavior, and that means more than our local association handing out a sportsmanship award. It means building a sportsmanlike atmosphere one building block at a time.

Build on what you’re given. Often officials can sense the atmosphere around a contest before it begins. If your crew walks on the field and sees the two coaches glaring at each other from 40 paces, you might get the idea that the players will be on edge too. Prepare for that. Politely but firmly remind players that unsporting acts won’t be tolerated.

If, on the other hand, the two coaches are chatting casually, it’s often (though not always) true that the athletes will be at ease as well. Mutual respect goes a long way. Use it to build a smooth game.

Recognize sportsmanlike acts. If a catcher retrieves a foul ball, thank him. If a player helps an opponent up after a tackle, acknowledge it. If an attacker pulls up to avoid charging into a keeper, let her know she made a good play. It’s called positive reinforcement and it works.

Talk them through it. Athletes can get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Sometimes the best way to calm them down is to appeal to their pride as athletes. If players are jawing, say something like, ‘‘You’re too good to be talking like that, don’t you think?” Often they’ll agree and go back to playing.

Don’t talk down to athletes. Sometimes athletes’ complaints are real, sometimes they aren’t. But your game will go much easier if you “hear them out” rather than brush them off. A player who asks a respectful question, whatever the level, deserves a courteous answer. Sometimes all players  — particularly teenagers — want is to have their concern taken seriously.

Someone’s watching you. It’s no secret that officials are under constant scrutiny, but remember who is watching you. Athletes, particularly younger ones, see officials as authority figures. When you’re around the gamesite, conduct yourself properly. Don’t use profanity; even the most casual remark can be taken out of context. Don’t use tobacco on school property. Don’t drink alcohol. And even if you stop at a restaurant after the game, be careful what you say and do. You never know who’s in the next booth.

Rick Woelfel is a freelance writer and baseball umpire based in Philadelphia.This article originally appeared in the 3/05 issue of Referee.

How Do You Take Advantage of Your NASO Membership?

Part of NASO’s mission statement is to serve members by providing benefits and services. Those benefits include insurance, the Member Information and Consultation Program (MICP), Referee magazine, It’s Official, the LockerRoom e-newsletter, annual sport quizzes, discounts to the Summit and educational materials, the Marriot VIP card, relocation referral services and more. Which NASO benefit(s) have you used and what have you gained from the benefit(s)? NASO wants to hear from you. In the space provided, please share your experience with NASO insurance, MICP, Referee magazine, the Marriot VIP card or any other benefits.

Everybody's Got a Story ... Share Yours

We all have them — those stories about a game or an incident that we’ve told so many times that our local officiating buddies probably can tell them better than we do. Your officiating recollections need a wider audience — a national audience!

Referee is accepting submissions for stories that will appear in the “Last Call.” That section of the magazine is where officials from any sport, any level of competition, tell their personal officiating stories. Maybe your story is funny, maybe it brings a tear to your eye, maybe it’s just one of those everyday experiences we all go through at some point in our careers. Whatever it is, the only requirements are that it must be something that happened to you, and it must in some way reflect any part of the officiating experience.

Send your stories or questions to “Last Call” in care of Matt Moore, Referee associate editor at lastcall@referee.com. What are you waiting for? Get typing!

As an active NASO member you should have received a special e-mail entitled "NASO 2009 Member-Get-a-Member."

Each year NASO counts on members like you to help grow membership by encouraging your officiating friends and colleagues to join NASO. Our goal with this Membership Drive is to sign on 1,000 new members this year.

Best of all as an NASO active member – when you help sign up a new member both you and your nominee* will save $10 in membership dues when you get a member to join.

There is no limit – nominate as many officials as you feel would benefit from being an NASO member. The more members you bring in – the more you save. For example, if you brought in five new members, you would receive a $50 membership dues credit. Bring in 10 new members and your next annual NASO membership is FREE.

As soon as they join NASO, you will receive a $10 dues credit for each new member as long as you and your nominee(s) remain active members for the next five years.

Plus each of your new members will also receive a $10 membership dues credit for their new NASO membership.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to save on your membership dues and help your association grow!

Membership dues credit will be applied on the member’s next membership renewal notice. 

At anytime, if an NASO member or new member (nominee) does not renew their membership to NASO the membership rate will revert back to the current annual NASO membership rate for each party.

This special offer is available April 2, 2009 -December 31, 2009.

*Nominee cannot be a current NASO member.

**Rate applies to U.S. only.