On one of the many bulletin boards at Brennan Park there is a poster. It's not large or flashy, and unless you have a habit of reading bulletin boards, you'd totally miss it. But it has an important message - one that, like the poster, appears to have been totally missed.
"That ref is somebody's kidOr somebody's mom or dad."
It's a valid point. What struck me is that nobody remembers that. For some reason, refs aren't real people when they are on the field or on the ice - it's like they are a uniform with no soul. And since they aren't real people, well, it's OK to scream at them when they make a bad call.
If a kid, or adult, makes a mistake on the field, like missing a pass, or throwing or kicking a bad ball, the fans still support them. They still cheer. Sure, they're probably disappointed, but so is the athlete, and accidents happen. But for some reason, this attitude doesn't seem to apply to refs.
The refs who man peewee-level games in football and hockey, for example, are often in high school. Those refs are learning how to become fair, diligent, smart officials. Yelling at them will intimidate them, make them defensive, and in a worst-case scenario, make them quit. They're learning a skill. I don't know anybody who wants to keep learning after they've been yelled at and harassed.
Yelling at refs isn't common sense. My favourite poster says "Yelling at the refs will help your team win. 'Cause they really like that. Do ya think?"
Who is going to be accommodating and fair if they're angry and hurt? That old adage about catching more flies with honey? It's probably true.
In the stands and on the field there are always complaints about refs. Some of those complaints are a quiet comment to a buddy, and some are a raucous shout. And some of them are deserved. I've seen refs make bad calls. They happen, intentionally or not.
But all the screaming in the world isn't going to change a call that has already been made.
Harassment and screaming isn't good for anybody. Other fans don't want people screaming over their heads, and the players and refs certainly don't need to be distracted from the game. It just wrecks the fun for everyone. And sports are supposed to be entertaining and fun.
There was one last poster that caught my eye. "Without a ref, nobody wins."
I'd agree. When refs or players get abused during a game by someone shouting at them, everybody loses.
