PLEASE HELP

75 people put on pinstripes for half of the year. Most are hated by hotdog wielding middle-aged men. No, I'm not talking about the yankees. I'm talking about the men and woman who referee basketball games. There is one word that can just about sum up the job they do for a living: atrocious.



As I sat on my couch in front of the t.v last night, slowly but surely falling asleep, I was awoken by the voice of Doc Rivers. He was yelling, pissed as a bull in a china shop. Glen Davis had just picked up his 6th foul leaving the battered Celtics with only 3 bench players left (I probably could've suited up for this one). But Doc wasn't yelling at Big Baby. He was yelling at the referee that made the call. The call on the floor was an illegal screen. The ref said Davis was moving as he set the pick. This was partially true but there's more behind it. As Davis set the screen, Mario Chalmers was giving "Big Baby" a "big bear" hug. However, Davis wanted nothing of it and continued setting the screen. His feet were moving the whole time so evidently he got the call because of the sheer stupidity of the refs. The call didn't alter the game but it still pissed me off none the less.

I understand that refereeing is a tough job. Many if the calls made throughout the game are judgement calls meaning you have to use your best judgement on the play. This doesn't always happen, especially at the middle school and highschool levels. The refs just wanna choose the easiest call so they can make their money and be on their way. That is fine for them but for the players on the court playing the game they love it preverts the great game of basketball. Even adults who are supporting their son, daughter, or sibling (that means you Russ Colley) get angry at how poorly these games are officiated. I've seen family members walk out of games because of how bad they are called. This is middle school basketball we're talking about! Kids just want to have fun. But its tough to have fun when you get punched in the temple but don't get to the free throw line (trust me, I know). This leads to kids arguing which leads to technicals which leads to coaches getting thrown out which leads to fighting parents which leads to viscous emails home which leads to crying kids which leads to quitters. You notice that if basketball referees don't do their job properly it could lead to a suburban catastrophy. Without highschool ball, students will have no where to go on friday nights resulting in more and more drinking parties. Things could become terrible.

With that behind us, refs have the potential to do great things for their community. They allow students to enjoy a great amount of entertainment. They give kids the chance to be good at something. They even allow parents to let off a little steam (especially if the refs are terrible). With all of that said I would like to say thank you to all of the referees out there for at least trying. At least.



*If there are any refs reading this I hope you understand how important your job is. I also hope you understand that 50% percent of the people are going to love you. The rest will hate you.... alot.