When you're watching a game, whether it's on TV or in person, if it's not the opposing team, it's the umpire or referee. Sometimes they'll drive you so mad you want to run down on the field and challenge them, either verbally or physically. Sure, even I have felt for players and coaches when they believed their integrity was questioned when a ref puts them down for their outbursts. I remember last spring, in the last inning one of our guys cursed after striking out, and was promptly ejected and suspended for a game as well.
It's kind of weird how generally the most mild-mannered and level-headed guys (off the court or field) can be insulted if they strike out or commit a foul. And of course we want to blame the official; after all, [he] was the one who made the call. I've been around sports quite a bit to understand the stakes and tensions in a game, and when a call (especially a dumb one) goes against my team even my adrenaline goes up because I'd never want my team in that kind of situation.
I remember in basketball last year, we were at Mooseheart in the middle of nowhere. The varsity team was a little more determined to win than usual because the JV team (who was having a good season) lost by one point on a last-second shot by Mooseheart's JV. So we found ourselves in a tight game but ahead by a certain number of points. However, Mooseheart had momentum and was clawing away at our lead. Then the fireworks came out when, while we were on defense, the refs whistled a foul, and the announcer's table immediately reported the foul on our star player, his fifth, even though he was nowhere near the play. What really got to me was that the refs weren't intelligent enough to look at the jersey numbers and clearly identify that a different person had committed the foul. So our star player was out of the game, and Mooseheart would go on to win the game on another last-second shot. Never mind that our star player would have reached a career high in points scored had he stayed in.
So, why would I bring this topic up, you ask? I ran into a couple of FCA friends at lunch today, and one of them happens to be an umpire for youth baseball, lacrosse and other youth sports. Tex and I lingered for half an hour talking about our experiences in games, and how he had to deal with angry players and coaches, and he made me realize how truly hard umpiring a game can be. What with angry players and coaches (and fans too, occasionally) coming up to his face, he'd sometimes want to end the game because of a true lack of sportsmanship. We discussed the little, hard calls, such as whacking people's arms with lacrosse sticks, and getting into the tidbits of what was legal and what wasn't--for example, using a stick to whack someone else's arm or stick is legal as long as it's under control--and how people erupt when a call is made. He also told me of times he ejected people simply to send a message, not that he had a personal problem with any of them.
Tex told me he once officiated a game where some high school kid took out another's head with his stick. He went over to the coach, and told him he'd let off the kid this time, but if he did it again he'd write a note to the league asking for the kid to be kicked out. The coach completely understood, and appeared as angry as Tex was. So the coach yanked the kid off the field and completely chewed him out, trying to send a message that the behavior would not be allowed, period.
I may or may not want to be a referee. I mean, you're the king once you set foot on the playing surface; even the coaches cannot dictate the game. However, I'd have to learn all the game and league rules and regulations, ace all the exams, and then exercise stiff judgment and stand by them even in the face of anger. I'm not 100 percent sure if I could do all that. Not that I'm afraid, but in my small frame I'd have to have a lot of guts standing up to 40-plus old-school coaches trying to manipulate me in to playing by their rules rather than the league's rules. I suppose if I had a late growth spurt and went on an eating binge, then it's possible. But I seriously doubt that.