Comments on: Weekly Links: Obama’s Global Tax Giveaway

By: Jew

Jew — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:44:21 +0000

Nice article on the girls’ basketball game. Part of the blame lies on the referees. They let the game get out of hand. But the refs were just high school students, so you have to cut them some slack. They’re not professionals.

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:25:49 +0000

I remember reffing many girls and boys basketball games. The order of the parents was the thing I was least empowered to control and it was often the most influential factor on the intensity of the game. The kids just played - they had fun, they never disputed calls - they just were out there playing. But then you start to get parents yelling and screaming; the kids take their lead and start getting mad - and I don’t really think they had any understanding of why people were getting mad - they just responded to the emotion.

I remember ejecting a parent who continued to berate me during a game. I remember almost every game having parents come up afterwards and get in my face, swearing in front of kids. This happened to every single ref that worked - regardless of ability, age or calls. It seems to be a universal maxim in kids sports that parents are atrocious.

By: Darius

Darius — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:36:49 +0000

As with the war on drugs, public execution would solve unruly parents.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:44:09 +0000

Nice French headings, by the way!

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:30:51 +0000

Parlez vous Francias?

By: Sharon

Sharon — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:00:46 +0000

Oui bien sur, vous? je ne savais pas, c’est magnifique!

By: Colin

Colin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:24:40 +0000

Je parle un peu français. Mais il a été de deux ans. J’apprendrai encore parce que je vais en Europe.

By: Atanamis

Atanamis — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:48:47 +0000

I remember reffing many girls and boys basketball games. The order of the parents was the thing I was least empowered to control and it was often the most influential factor on the intensity of the game.

I used to ref soccer at the club level. We were ENCOURAGED to warn or eject coaches if they failed to control their fans. Some leagues even allowed refs to ask parents to leave, and to cancel the game if they failed to do so. By threatening to end the game or remove a coach for unruly parents, they would generally calm down.