A Guide for the ‘Workplace’

Although officiating is an avocation for most of us, it is one that must be treated as a business. Officiating should be fun, but not at the expense of professionalism. In that vein, the court or field is like an office and the officials are like managers. There are a number of rules that are equally applicable to either workplace.

Following are examples of office rules that have parallels in officiating.

Arrive on time or inform the office of your whereabouts. Just as you would never arrive very late for work without calling the office, arriving late for an officiating assignment is a cardinal sin. It causes worry for the game manager and disrupts the pregame routine of coaches and participants.

Whenever possible, you should leave for the assignment early enough that a minor delay doesn’t force you to rush to the game. If an unforeseen emergency, such as a flat tire, causes you to be unavoidably detained, try to call the game manager or another official who may have a cell phone and let them know you’re on your way. Maintain a record of phone numbers and take it with you to every assignment.

Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. There is nothing wrong with laughing about something that happens on the field, within reason. If you take a tumble on a slippery field and the fall doesn’t cause you to miss a play or become injured, you might as well chuckle because chances are others will be. A friendly expression lets coaches and players know you are approachable and conveys an appearance of self-confidence.

Never laugh over an injury or a team’s misfortune. Off-color jokes regarding race, religion, sexual orientation or other politically incorrect topics are not appropriate on the field or court or in the workplace.

Don’t act superior. The longer you officiate, the more you will work with officials who are less experienced or less competent than yourself. In the workplace and in officiating, the job goes more smoothly if people work together.

An experienced official should avoid overruling a less-seasoned partner, but the veteran can help the crewmate correct an obvious error. The helping official can ask the calling official, “Did you get a good look at the play?” That initiates a quick conversation about what happened. The helping official then tells the calling official what the helping official saw. The calling official makes the decision on how to handle it. If the calling official changes the call, only the calling official makes the new signal.

That technique should be used sparingly or coaches and players won’t respect the decisions of the inexperienced official. It may also shatter the official’s confidence.

Clear up petty problems when they occur. In a work setting, minor misunderstandings or poor communication can turn molehills turn into mountains. If a player is in a talkative mood or is playing in a manner that is bordering on roughness but is not worthy of a penalty, a quiet but firm word may be in order. Use your voice to let players know their actions are being observed.

If the player persists, inform the captain or the coach. Something as simple as “Coach, your number 24 is giving me some problems. I’d appreciate it if you’d calm him down” lets the coach know you’re trying to defuse the situation without a penalty.

Practice good hygiene. Appearance counts in the workplace and in officiating. In the course of your officiating duties, your hair may become tousled and you may work up a sweat. But before the game, your hair should be neatly combed and deodorant should be applied, if necessary.

If your lunch included garlic, onions or something else that causes bad breath, consider chewing gum, gargling or brushing your teeth before the game. Male officials should shave the day of the game (those with heavier beards may choose to shave in the locker room before the contest).

Thou shalt not steal. Most employers don’t allow employees to help themselves to office supplies or work products. Likewise, under no circumstances should an official help himself to equipment or anything else that doesn’t belong to the official. Game balls should be returned to the home coach or game manager, not taken home for Junior. Towels provided by the host school should be placed in the proper receptacle, not in your equipment bag.

Register Online for the 2006 NASO Summit Today

NASO’s Sports Officiating 2006 Summit — Officiating and Technology: What Works — will be held in Memphis, Tenn., on July 30-Aug. 1. The event will include some of the best and brightest in officiating and answer your questions about the latest technological tools in officiating. For information about the industry-leading event, visit www.naso.org/summit2006. The website contains details about Summit sessions and speakers. You can also sign up online.

Group registration discounts are available when three or more officials or administrators from the same association, league or conference sign up for the Summit on the same registration form. The discount allows each attendee to receive $70 off the normal registration fee — saving a total of $210 in registration fees. Check out the registration form for additional information.

Individual NASO members save $50 with a reduced membership rate. Register by June 16 for an additional $50 savings.

The Memphis Peabody is the host location for the 2006 Summit and offers unbeatable room rates of $119 per night.

Visit the Summit website and register for the NASO Sports Officiating Summit today. We’ll confirm your registration and then send you an informative packet of information now, and then again just before the Summit event.

For additional information about the NASO Sports Officiating Summit, contact NASO Summit Coordinator Jodi Schmidt at 800/733-6100 or jschmidt@naso.org. We look forward to seeing you in July.

Tales From the Trenches …

Real stories by officials, for officials.

We’ve all had moments of brilliance in our comebacks to coaches. Some are clever and thoroughly professional. Some are really clever but not so much professional. What’s the best (not necessarily most professional) comeback you ever had to a bit of coachspeak? NASO LockerRoom readers had some tales to tell.

It’s Tails …

"While working a baseball game behind the plate, the manager of one of the teams involved was not impressed with the size of my strike zone. After five innings of his comments he came up with another, ending with flip a coin. I responded back to him it came up tails and yours is gone. Some of the other players chuckled quietly, so their manager wouldn’t see them, but the ejected manager left the field for the remainder of the ballgame."

Far-Sighted

"In a high school softball game, I was on the bases. We had a bunt attempt and the batter-runner, while running to first base, had the ball roll up and hit her in the heel about five feet up the first-base line. After pausing a moment, waiting for my plate umpire to make the call—he obviously got blocked out—I killed the play. We got together and ruled the batter-runner out for being hit by a batted ball out of the batter’s box. The head coach came out and said, 'How can you see that from that far away?!' I looked at the coach, smiled, and said, 'So you’re not saying I got it wrong … you’re just wondering how I was able to see it from out there?' Not another word was said. The coach turned right around and headed back for the coach's box."

You’re No Coach Smith

"I was working as a line judge on a varsity football game. The team ran a pick pattern pass that went for a touchdown. I threw a penalty for offensive pass interference. The coach threw a fit and asked, 'Why do you only throw penalty flags on my team?' I responded, 'Do you see the man on the other sideline with the tie and clipboard?' He responded, 'Yes, that’s Coach Smith!' I responded, 'The reason your team has more penalties is that Coach Smith is a much better coach than you!' Not my most professional response, but very true!"

Turkey, Anyone?

"I was working the plate in a summer league baseball game and I called the batter out for interfering with the catcher’s throw to second base. The manager came out to question the call. He kept coming up with 'What if' questions. I finally got tired of answering all those hypotheticals, so I said to him, 'What if this was Thanksgiving? We’d all be home eating turkey.' He really had no idea how to respond to that, so he left."

Be Careful What You Ask For

"I called a foul on a player for a charge on one end of the court and again immediately thereafter at the other end of the court for a block. His coach commented to me to call it the same at both ends of the court. I told him, 'I don’t understand. I just called a foul on number 22 at that end of the court and again at this end. Isn’t that what you asked for?'”

An Extension of the Foot

"I was the assistant referee along the bench touchline in a college men’s soccer game. At the other end of the field (goal area), the opposing goalkeeper makes a save and lands on the ground near an attacker. There is a flurry, the ball pops loose and the whistle blows for a foul against the attacker. I am 60 yards away and the coach (for the attacking team) is five yards farther away than me. The center ref was 'right there,' and the coach is yelling, 'It was the ground that jarred the ball loose, not my player!' I turned and calmly said, 'Coach, we all know that the ground is considered an extension of the foot.' Moment of silence, coach stops, thinks and then he and his entire bench burst out in peals of laughter. It was easy to control the bench and coaches from that point forward in that game."

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