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February 15, 2002
Back in the golden age of television, famed newsman Walter Cronkite ended his newscasts with, "And that’s the way it is." That now-famous tag line defined his style and quite possibly, the way he was.
That axiom also partially defines officials. We are constantly analyzing situations and making rulings. We expect others to accept our judgments — and may have even uttered the phrase "that’s the way it is."
Are we as accepting of our own surroundings? Too often, the frustrations associated with officiating can be traced to our own lack of acceptance. Peter McWilliams, in his New York Times bestseller Life 101 (Prelude Press, 8159 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif. 90046) writes, "Acceptance is not a state of passivity or inaction. I am not saying you can’t change the world, right wrongs, or replace evil with good. Acceptance is, in fact, the first step to successful action. If you don’t fully accept a situation precisely the way it is, you will have difficulty changing it. Moreover, if you don’t fully accept the situation, you will never really know if the situation should be changed."
Accept others. Many officials complain about coaches and players — and other officials. "Coach Smith was so out of line last night. He questioned us on every call. He was not spending any time coaching his kids. He wouldn’t listen to anybody." Sound familiar? What happens if we accept Coach Smith for what he is — a coach. Once we accept the fact that a coach will likely not see things the same way you do because he has a vested interest in the outcome of the game, we have a better chance of understanding why he is acting the way he is. Remember, that’s not to say a coach doesn’t get penalized for his poor actions. Acceptance means we understand why he is acting the way he is. Once we accept him, we are less likely to get upset and take his actions personally.
The same goes for players. They also have a vested interest in the game. We also have to accept the fact that players are less respectful of authority than they used to be. It’s no different than the treatment of police officers, teachers, etc. Once we accept and understand that things are different, we can then set our sets on correcting player behavior as best we can in the two hours or so we have influence over them — during the game. Kids wearing pink hair during a game may not appeal to you. If you don’t accept it, however, and realize that’s a societal trend, you’ll become angry and frustrated — two traits that won’t allow you to officiate appropriately. Accept it first, then you can deal with it if it is something you should deal with.
Officials also complain about other officials. "I don’t know how Joe got a playoff game. He’s not very good. He must be kissing up to the coaches." That negative rationalization does damage to your reputation. Is there really anything you can do about Joe’s playoff assignment? No. Accept it. You’re then less likely to complain and more likely to focus on improving yourself.
Accept your place. Arguably, more officiating frustrations are associated with climbing the ladder than any other element. It’s our competitive nature. Most people have an inner drive that equates to being the best. We don’t like it when we’re not. That’s okay — if you accept that you can’t always be the best.
There’s probably not a better example than an officiating camp or umpire school. Hundreds attend; only a handful make it to the next level. The remaining are frustrated. They rationalize their perceived failures, carry bitter attitudes into future games or even quit.
Most of that frustration stems from a lack of acceptance. Not everyone can make it to the highest levels of officiating. Not everyone can be a high school varsity official. You may not have what it takes to be a NCAA Division I official. You may, however, have what it takes to be a very good high school varsity official.
Analyze your own situation and accept where you are. Only then can you (a) be happy with where you are and thoroughly enjoy officiating at any level, or (b) work toward improving yourself to get another chance at moving up. Both cases makes you a better person and, in turn, a better official.
Like McWilliams wrote, acceptance doesn’t mean we simply through our hands up and give up. It means understanding yourself first, then understanding others. "And that’s the way it is."
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NASO Board Has Vision
The semi-annual meeting of the NASO Board of Directors took place Jan. 19-20 in Dallas. Key topics discussed were: plans for the June 22-24 "Successful Officiating" conference in Albuquerque; renewal of the management agreement between NASO and Referee Enterprises, Inc.; recommendations of the association’s Strategic Development Committee; and operations of the NASO Foundation.
The educational program is locked in for the Albuquerque conference and the National Federation Officials Association, the Officiating Development Alliance and the New Mexico Activities Association will hold meetings in conjunction with the conference. The board agreed to a five-year extension of the agreement between NASO and REI by which REI manages the activities of the association. Plus, it accepted the SDC’s recommendations to revise the NASO mission statement and to take on eight strategic initiatives. The board also established its position concerning the near-term development of the NASO Foundation.
The staff briefed the board on the status of the full range of NASO programs. Discussions concerning the 2003 conference site, the NASO operating budget and the outreach activities of the association ensued. A nominating committee was appointed to make recommendations to fill upcoming board vacancies. The board next meets June 22 prior to the opening of the NASO conference.
They say everyone has a story to tell. For officials that’s probably more often true than not. Who hasn’t spent a few hours after a game swapping stories? Maybe it’s about the first time you dumped a coach, or it’s about the day it rained and you had to reschedule 20 baseball games!
Referee magazine wants to hear your personal stories. Every month a column appears on the last page of the magazine entitled "Last Call," and every month that column is written by a different official telling his or her own personal story. Some are funny, like when Dick Honig wrote about nearly blowing the coin toss at the national championship game two years ago. Some are serious, like when 35-year-old high school basketball ref Bobby Harraid wrote about having to make the decision between destroying his knee or hanging up his whistle.
The kicker is those stories could be about anything as long as it’s related in some way to the general officiating experience. Maybe you have a story about buying plate shoes or having someone recognize you during a business meeting as the guy who red-carded his kid.
If you’d like to share your own story, send it to Referee magazine via e-mail at lastcall@referee.com. Referee is looking for personal stories that are compelling and writing that comes from the gut. Keep in mind that none of these stories come from professional writers; they’re all from regular officials in any sport, at any level of competition, writing about their own experiences. When submitting your story, you should try to keep it between 500 and 750 words. If your story is chosen for publication, Referee pays $100.
NFL Charities Supports Youth Sports Officiating
NFL Charities will once again help support the production and distribution of the NFL Youth Football Preseason Publication — 2002.
Pop Warner Football, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America, the National Youth Sports Officials Association, the Jewish Community Centers, California Police Athletic League, Amateur Athletic Union and others have participated in the program the past two years.
The popular 16-page publication is created by NASO/Referee and distributed to more than 25,000 youth football officials across America at no cost to the organizations participating in the program. Written by the editors of Referee, the 2002 publication will focus on youth officiating and will provide tips and insight on how to properly officiate youth football.
"The feedback from those who have received this publication has been very positive," said Referee Associate Editor Jeffrey Stern.
Stern is the author of the Football Officials Guidebook, a publication introduced in 1999 by Referee. He has been the primary author for the youth publication since its inception. Several Guidebook illustrations and examples of officiating mechanics will be incorporated into the publication.
If your officials association works youth football, contact Referee Group Sales Manager Patrick Miles at 262/632-8855 and request your copies immediately. The publication will be going to press soon and quantities will be limited once initial distribution is made.
In addition to funds from NFL Charities for the NFL Youth Football Preseason Publication — 2002, Mike Pereira, NFL director of officiating announced at January’s meeting of the Officiating Development Alliance that his department will make a significant contribution to help fund the ODA’s future initiatives.
"We believe that the ODA is in a position to make significant progress in improving officiating at every level," said Pereira. "We’re stepping forward to solidify our commitment."
"Both of those contributions are important to supporting NASO’s involvement and commitment to improving officiating," said NASO President Barry Mano. "Our relationship with the NFL has always been strong and we are grateful they have confidence in our efforts."
For more about the ODA, see the April issue of It’s Official.
Get A Free Book
As part of your NASO member benefits, NASO provides each member with a coupon good for a free REI/NASO publication. The coupon is included with your membership card.
The program was introduced last year in order to increase the educational value of membership.
The program works like this: When a new member joins or you renew your membership in NASO, the association mails out a membership card. Attached at the bottom of the letter containing the membership card is the free book coupon. Also enclosed is a catalog providing information about the various NASO/REI publications.
Browse the catalog and select a publication you want. Then, write the name of the publication on the coupon and mail it to NASO by using the envelope provided in the center of any Referee magazine. Any book or publication with an NASO member price of $7.95 or less is free. If the price exceeds the $7.95 member cost, you only pay the difference. You may only select one publication to apply to the coupon, however you may purchase additional books or different publications and send in the order at the same time.
"This program allows members to personalize their membership," explains Referee Group Sales Manager Patrick Miles. "If you’re a football referee, you can pick a football book; if you’re a baseball umpire, there are baseball publications. You get to choose."
The coupons expire at the same time as does the member’s membership, so members have up to a year to claim the book of their choice. However, you are encouraged to note your expiration date so as not to allow this opportunity to pass.
Alabama Lays Down the Law
Alabama has become the 16th state to toughen the punishment on angry sports fans who attack game officials and coaches.
The Alabama House voted, 75-1, in December to give final approval to Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Senator Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham). The bill, which had passed the Senate earlier by a 31-0 margin, was signed by Gov. Don Siegelman, on Dec. 28, 2001, and became law on March 31.
It creates new crimes of harassing, menacing and assaulting sports officials and coaches. The punishments are harsher than normal for convictions for harassment, menacing and assault. For example, second-degree assault can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but under the new law, second-degree assault of a sports official or coach could result in a sentence of up to 20 years.
The legislation applies to all levels of athletics from church softball leagues to professional sports.
Greg Brewer, who coordinates game officials for the Alabama High School Athletic Association, told the Associated Press that the law was needed to curb the growing national trend of violence against coaches and referees. He said the problems at high school games in Alabama are rare, but incidents like the bottle-throwing during an NFL game last fall end up on national television and trickle down to lower levels.
"What people see on TV they think is OK to do at high school and college," Brewer said.
Brewer admits that the legislation won’t stop all incidents, "But we think it will make people who are rational in their behavior 99 percent of the time think before they act."
Smitherman has coached girls’ basketball, softball and soccer in Birmingham. When he proposed the bill last March, he recalled an incident nearly 15 years ago when he was coaching baseball and some parents from his team got upset with an umpire’s call. Several parents began chasing the umpire with a bat. Smitherman recalls getting between the parents and umpire to prevent any injuries. Surely the umpire was grateful.
Today, umpires across the state can be appreciative of Smitherman’s courage to introduce new legislation that will protect officials.
ODA Adopts Officiating Code of Conduct
The evening of Jan. 12, Mike Pereira, the NFL’s director of officiating, was advising network TV announcers concerning the intricacies of the so-called "tuck" rule and the correct application of the rule in the now-famous snow game between Oakland and New England. Earlier that day in Dallas, Pereira had made the case for timely communications with the media.
Pereira was one of 13 members of the Officiating Development Alliance (ODA) who had come together for two days to discuss the challenges faced by officials at all levels and develop action plans. The ODA is a cross-section of officiating leaders ranging from youth level to the professional level. It met for the fifth time since its first gathering in June 1999 and discussed progress to date plus made plans for the future.
At the Dallas meeting ODA members agreed on the details of an officiating code of conduct. That code is now posted on the ODA’s website where it will be joined by other documents to be created by the ODA as it works to provide additional educational material for use by officials at all levels.
The ODA centers its efforts on the recruiting and retention of officials, innovations in training, building the image of officials and increasing the awareness of sports organizations of the importance of officiating. It agreed on short-term actions to be taken in each of these areas. The ODA is an initiative of NASO.
Look for more about the ODA on its web site at www.officiatingdevelopmentalliance.org.
Nominating Committee Goes to Work
Nominations for NASO board positions are in and the task at hand for the nominating committee is to select four candidates for the available positions. NASO would like to thank all those who nominated someone or who submitted their own name for consideration.
"Service to the association can be done in many ways," said NASO President Barry Mano. "It is gratifying to know that we have many individuals interested in making the kind of commitment necessary to serve on the board. Our goal, as always, is to have a diverse board representative of various levels and interests in officiating. It’s important to have a board that is visionary and cohesive."
The seats of current Chair Gary Whelchel, Vice Chair John Clougherty, and board members Carter Rankin and Randy Christal are available. Christal is eligible for re-election while the others are not.
The nominating committee traditionally consists of those individuals whose terms have expired and are no longer eligible to serve on the board. Mano serves as chair of the committee and this year Clougherty, Rankin and Whelchel will serve on the committee.
March
Issue in the Mail
The March issue of REFEREE is in
the mail and has lots of important news and information.
Here’s a preview:
- Crowd Control
- Moment
of Truth
- Sally Bell
Gets the Job Done
- Basic Training: No Downtime
Plus, there are features and insight on officiating news and more. As always, you’ll also find that the REFEREE editors have put together informative columns on baseball, basketball, football and soccer techniques.
Look for your issue of REFEREE any day. www.referee.com
