This week’s article is based and adapted from two articles which were published in the popular US sports officials magazine ‘Referee’. It deals with the help, for the referee, that could be forthcoming from the sidelines, namely the score table personnel.
Generally speaking, refereeing any sport can at times be a lonely and sometimes isolated existence. In the heat of the game the only people who seem to be on your side are your fellow referees or referee, and in my case, in basketball, those working on the score-table.
Thus I believe it is imperative that the referee should try as much as possible to get along and work together as an extended team.
It is no secret that referees and related officials are an integral part of the game. The perceived outcome of a game is indirectly dependent on how successful every referee or official is at their responsibilities and how they work together.
The relationship of referees with the score-table personnel can be just as important as the referee’s own relationship with his partner/s in the game. Score-table personnel are simply an extension of the refereeing crew in the sense that they all work together to do an effective job of game administration.
Having said this, however it is important that all officials in a team need to understand what each person’s role. They must mutually respect (and this is in my opinion a very important and crucial variable) what their positions and responsibilities are. This may sound trivial to some but I openly state that this might lead to problems if certain personalities are met. It is not the first time I have encountered individuals who do not respect their own role and try to enter into someone else’s decision spectrum, resulting only in a lot of harm to be made to the whole refereeing crew.
It is no secret that there are always going to be times in a game where each referee will need the assistance of a co-worker. If there is not a good working relationship, this assistance may either be inaccurate or, worse still, not even forthcoming.
Imagine a scenario (depicted in the articles but which I can vouch that has in fact happened): the referee going to the score-table to ask the timekeeper’s opinion if the game clock expired before the shot, only to receive the response of “I have no idea, that is your problem”.
A worse scenario could be that of the referee turning to the scorer to signal the foul and having the scorer angrily shaking his head in total disagreement with the decision. You may not believe this, but I have witnessed such incidents. If I happened to be the referee in question, I would honestly think of maybe demanding instantly a change in table personnel.
In my games I do try to stress (with the table officials) impartiality, reminding them they are part of the independent team employed to make the game run smoothly. Then, if everything goes fine, at the completion of the game I try to make an effort to thank the table officials for their efforts, expressing gratitude for a good job. After all they are also generally unsung heroes who are usually noticed and talked about when some controversy arises.
Other type of dissent, as that mentioned previously, may also occur between referee partners. There is nothing worse than having one referee speaking to an upset coach or player, claiming “the other referee called it” or shrugging the shoulders in amazement or disbelief at the call of the other official. This is a clear idea of bad teamwork.
No one single referee should be so sensitive that he resents the other for making decisions on plays that he feels are his responsibility. It is true that it is ethical not to make decisions in your partner’s area of responsibility, especially if you are far away.
However, it is also true that both the teams and the supporters have no interest in knowing which referee actually has responsibility to see an action or not. Thus, I am a firm believer that if something massive has happened and was so obvious and witnessed by all except the responsible referee, his partner will do a great benefit to the game by whistling.
Ultimately the goal of the referee’s teamwork is to provide the best coverage for the game and to present a united front on any decision made.
The stark reality is that any incompatibility between the referees and incompatibility with the score-table personnel gives players, coaches and spectators more possibility for criticism along with additional justification for rejecting the decisions of those refereeing the games. Image is so important in the administration of the game.
References:‘Referee’ Magazine
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