Soccer official killed

[Berkut]

This is something important to me of course. I had a friend of mine locally nearly killed by a player in a football game he was officiating.


But this goes beyond physical violence. There is, IMO, a culture around sports and officials that results in these kinds of things. A culture that doesn't just tolerate treating officials like shit, but actually glorifies it. When Coach K goes off on an official, it makes SportsCenter, and often with just a fig leaf of disapproval. And even to the extent that coaches actions are seen in a negative light, it is usually not because it is just a shitty, childish, and unsporting way to act, but because their actions might hurt the team - rarely is it ever put in what is, IMO, the proper context of "This is a shitty way for a human being to act, period"


Anyway, I shared this on FB with some commentary of my own, but I thought I would share it here as well, and see what people think.

It will happen again,' says sports official on violent death of soccer referee

http://www.naso.org/go/pressreleases/017_Press_Release.html

[The Brain]

So what can be done?

[Admiral Yi]

Clearly Coach K must be banned for life.

[crazy canuck]

But this goes beyond physical violence. There is, IMO, a culture around sports and officials that results in these kinds of things. A culture that doesn't just tolerate treating officials like shit, but actually glorifies it.

I agree.  Having been a player and a coach I have seen it first hand at every level.  Even when I was coaching little league and, sadly, on a number of occasions, I had to remind opposing coaches that it was improper to go off on a 14 year kid who was umping the game.

I see a shift though in a new generation of coaches - at least the younger ones who have coached my boys.  There seems to be a new attitude of respect and restraint so that when a call is made that they disagree with they will ask for a clarification rather than going on a rant.  The coach who's team won the Provincial title this year was a model of this style of interaction with the refs.  But sadly these coaches are very much in the minority.  There is definitely a culture amongst coaches that being hard on the refs is the sign of a good coach.  And of course fans being what they are play off what the coach does by several magnitudes.  That is not to say that refs dont make bad calls.  Of course they do.  They are not perfect but more often than not they get it right and on reflection what one thinks initially was a bad call often turns out to either have been correct or at least too close to make a good case they got it wrong (charging/blocking is a good example of where that often occurs).  One of the best basketball refs I ever had ref one of my games made this point well to me during a game when I complained to him that the other guy had thrown an elbow at me and the foul was called on me.  He said, "I believe you.  But I didnt see it so I can't call it.  I will look for it next time.  But you have to admit you did foul him and that is what I saw."  He was absolutely right. 

From a player's perspective I have observed that the way coaches treat refs is generally a reflection of the way they treat their players.  I wouldnt want my boys being coached by someone who mistreats refs because chances are that coach will also have the same attitude toward their players.  And maybe that is the root of the problem.  Coaches are taught the xs and os of the game, fewer learn how to coach the fundamentals and even fewer learn good communication and motivation skills.  But if they can play to the crowd and abuse the refs all is good in the eyes of the fans (and too often the parents of the players) who will readily blame a ref for a bad outcome but will rarely think about what really mattered - how the game was played.

[Berkut]

So what can be done?

Plenty CAN be done.

Start holding coaches and players accountable for their actions.

An Athletic Director, for example, is a coaches boss, are they not?

If a coach acts like an ass, suspend him without pay. Send a message about what is and is not tolerated.

There is plenty that CAN be done, but likely won't be - because fundamentally, it is a matter of cultural priorities, and I am not sure that our culture values care enough about abstract concepts like "sportsmanship" when it runs up against the value we place on winning.

[The Brain]

So what can be done?

Plenty CAN be done.

Start holding coaches and players accountable for their actions.

An Athletic Director, for example, is a coaches boss, are they not?

If a coach acts like an ass, suspend him without pay. Send a message about what is and is not tolerated.

There is plenty that CAN be done, but likely won't be - because fundamentally, it is a matter of cultural priorities, and I am not sure that our culture values care enough about abstract concepts like "sportsmanship" when it runs up against the value we place on winning.

What if NASO refused to do games with teams that let their coaches and players act up? "Don't do that! Same time next week?" doesn't really suggest non-acceptance.

[derspiess]

Goddamned Coach K has blood on his hands.

[Norgy]

Fines. Lots of them.
Three strikes, and you're banned from the touchline.

[alfred russel]

So what can be done?

Plenty CAN be done.

Start holding coaches and players accountable for their actions.

An Athletic Director, for example, is a coaches boss, are they not?

If a coach acts like an ass, suspend him without pay. Send a message about what is and is not tolerated.

There is plenty that CAN be done, but likely won't be - because fundamentally, it is a matter of cultural priorities, and I am not sure that our culture values care enough about abstract concepts like "sportsmanship" when it runs up against the value we place on winning.

People spend years getting ready for events. They often tolerate lots of unpleasant things because in fact winning is important. Are coaches just to let an official wrongly deny his players the opportunities they deserve because it might hurt the official's feelings?

If a player makes decisions that adversely effect his team's chance of winning, I assume that Coach K will chew his ass out. Why should an official be different?

Killing people obviously crosses the line.

[Liep]

The same way you can't call a policeman an asshole, but you can call your friends whatever the fuck you like.

[dps]

If a player makes decisions that adversely effect his team's chance of winning, I assume that Coach K will chew his ass out. Why should an official be different?

The difference is that the players are answerable to the coach for their performance.  The referee is not.

[crazy canuck]

If a player makes decisions that adversely effect his team's chance of winning, I assume that Coach K will chew his ass out. Why should an official be different?

Yeah, that is exactly the problem I referred to in my post.

[alfred russel]

I mean, if we are talking about American football, a player puts so much into getting onto the field, and most will play so few games in their careers, and apparently half will die at 40 from brain damage or something, I don't see what is wrong with a coach yelling at an official who is pissing down the backs of his boys.

[grumbler]

I mean, if we are talking about American football, a player puts so much into getting onto the field, and most will play so few games in their careers, and apparently half will die at 40 from brain damage or something, I don't see what is wrong with a coach yelling at an official who is pissing down the backs of his boys.

And that is what is wrong.  If killing the ref is merely an unacceptable version of the behavior you so strongly support, then whether the ref should be killed or only harassed is only a matter of taste and perception.

The ref's word is law.  There may be reasons for a coach to talk to the refs, respectfully, but any Coach K moments should result in expulsion and suspension without pay.

[crazy canuck]

From a player's perspective I have observed that the way coaches treat refs is generally a reflection of the way they treat their players.  I wouldnt want my boys being coached by someone who mistreats refs because chances are that coach will also have the same attitude toward their players.  And maybe that is the root of the problem.  Coaches are taught the xs and os of the game, fewer learn how to coach the fundamentals and even fewer learn good communication and motivation skills.  But if they can play to the crowd and abuse the refs all is good in the eyes of the fans (and too often the parents of the players) who will readily blame a ref for a bad outcome but will rarely think about what really mattered - how the game was played.

The bolded part from my post is for you Alfred.

If you think refs "piss down the backs" of players you have a messed up view of sports - which is pretty much the point Berkut was making.