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Officials and the Media


Bobref

Question

I have a friend who has been both a coach and an official for many, many years. Here’s a portion of a recent message he sent me: 

“Wondering why after athletic and newsworthy events both good and bad, in this Age of Information, reporters, cameras and microphones are thrusted in the faces of Coaches, players, criminals, heroes, grieving individuals etc, as soon as possible, very often at the site or on the court, field, etc to report the event with one noteworthy exception.  

Why are Officials protected better than professional sports protects their superstars while competing? Why are professional coaches and players made to be accessible after a game,  by rule, to the media but not the officials?”

Frankly, I think he’s spot on. If officials had the opportunity to explain why things happened the way they did during a game, I think it would improve their public image. After all, we are all taught that “selling the call” is important. Why should the “sale” be limited to a few seconds during the game?

Discuss.

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I think it's because no matter what the official said the average fan wouldn't believe them. All you have to do is read replies to Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino tweets. They give very clear explanations of rules and why something was or wasn't called. They don't hold back any punches and will be critical when necessary. And almost every comment is negative. I would love to see the comments as well, but the general fans just want a punching bag and something to blame. I don't know that it would actually help at all.

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30 minutes ago, JustRules said:

I think it's because no matter what the official said the average fan wouldn't believe them. All you have to do is read replies to Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino tweets. They give very clear explanations of rules and why something was or wasn't called. They don't hold back any punches and will be critical when necessary. And almost every comment is negative. I would love to see the comments as well, but the general fans just want a punching bag and something to blame. I don't know that it would actually help at all.

You are right with respect to many, but not nearly all. The experience on the GID is illustrative. There are many on here who are unwilling to learn, or see other viewpoints. But there are many on here who have been educated, and are now much more knowledgeable because they have read explanations and participated in discussions about officiating issues. You’re not going to alienate the haters and fanatics: they’re already there. But you can do world of good by carefully pulling back the curtain behind which the officiating community lives. Frankly, I think most officials endorse the climate of secrecy because of fear. That wastes opportunities to educate, if not convert.

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30 minutes ago, JustRules said:

I think it's because no matter what the official said the average fan wouldn't believe them. All you have to do is read replies to Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino tweets. They give very clear explanations of rules and why something was or wasn't called. They don't hold back any punches and will be critical when necessary. And almost every comment is negative. I would love to see the comments as well, but the general fans just want a punching bag and something to blame. I don't know that it would actually help at all.

You are right with respect to many, but not nearly all. The experience on the GID is illustrative. There are many on here who are unwilling to learn, or see other viewpoints. But there are many on here who have been educated, and are now much more knowledgeable because they have read explanations and participated in discussions about officiating issues. You’re not going to alienate the haters and fanatics: they’re already there. But you can do world of good by carefully pulling back the curtain behind which the officiating community lives. Frankly, I think most officials endorse the climate of secrecy because of fear. That wastes opportunities to educate, if not convert.

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1 hour ago, Bobref said:

The responsible opposing viewpoint to the status quo comes from our most innovative and forward thinking professional sports league. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2019/01/22/nba-referees-pool-report-nfl-saints-rams/2648324002/

I still hear fans and coaches and commentators complain about calls and laugh at those pool reports. They say the official is just trying cover up or justify their bad call and it doesn't change anything so why bother. I enjoy them as an official, but I don't believe the general public really cares. This forum is a little different because you have established a relationship and trust with the other posters. If you went to some other random HS forum in the country and answered a random rules question, it's not likely you would get the same response.

Edited by JustRules
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9 minutes ago, JustRules said:

I still hear fans and coaches and commentators complain about calls and laugh at those pool reports. They say the official is just trying cover up or justify their bad call and it doesn't change anything so why bother. I enjoy them as an official, but I don't believe the general public really cares. This forum is a little different because you have established a relationship and trust with the other posters. If you went to some other random HS forum in the country and answered a random rules question, it's not likely you would get the same response.

This forum didn’t start that way. It takes time to build up credibility. Of course, if the expectation is to get 100% of all people interested in the outcome of a game to see it your way, that’s stupid pie-in-the-sky thinking. But with increased transparency and a well thought out process, you can get some, perhaps many, to change their outlook, to understand more about what we do, and to see things in a different light. This forum is living proof.

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I like this idea.  There will never be 100% agreement on calls made on the field, as is witnessed every Saturday and Sunday when expert pundits try to tell us which way a review will go.  The amount of times these experts are wrong just shows that there is so much subjectivity,  and getting an explanation as the the "why" of some calls would be refreshing.  What did they see? What made them throw/not throw the flag? Yes, there are many who would still yell and complain just as loudly as ever, but it would be interesting and insightful for everyone else.

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