Referees… The Unsung Heroes, The Glorified Villains

There’s an old African saying, “a cow doesn’t know the use of its tail until it loses it.” Many do not appreciate the value of referees to the game of basketball until they play without one or play under an incompetent one. Once upon a time, I was summoned to officiate a basketball match. I had no training as a referee except for pick-up games. But I was like… how hard can it be? I’m a ball player! I know the rules! Let’s do this! To cut a long story short… I disgraced myself. It was then, I resolved to never raise my voice at a referee again, and I must say that so far… I am failing woefully!

However, what I learnt that day is that there is so much that goes into refereeing that can’t be appreciated from the point of view of a player, coach or fan. I realized that the refs are crucified for every call they miss but hardly praised for the ones they get spot on. Unlike the player that misses a shot, a lay-up or a free throw. They’ll simply say “my bad!” and run back on defense only to try gain. Or the coach that loses a game maybe because of bad substitutions or strategy. He’ll take it in his stride and prepare for the next game. Referees don’t get that luxury. Yes! Sometimes referees get it wrong and it hurts. Some may even feel they have an agenda (and unfortunately, some do) until you’re placed in their shoes.

But to err is human… and yet we forget one thing… referees too are human!

It’s almost impossible to please everyone as a ref … because just about every call you make goes against somebody. Have you noticed, when a team wins a game, they usually attribute the win to their skills, knowledge and effort. But if they lose, in many cases, the ref is to blame! You probably would never hear a winning team say… Oh wow!… We won this game because of the referee (unless the match was fixed of course).

Referees are expected to keep their cool at all times in spite of the emotional hassles they have to endure which often is overlooked. The constant verbal abuse they have to bear is sometimes used by some coaches, players and die-hard fans, as game tactics. In some parts of the world, like mine, the abuse sometimes gets physical. Poor refs!…

Let’s not forget other requirements. Referees are expected to possess point guard-type court vision with an eye for detail, be in good physical shape because after all they don’t get to be substituted and coordinate themselves in ways that sometimes, look like set plays.

However, I must point out that this is not a job for the incompetent. As a ref, if you don’t work on your craft then you’re asking for whatever negative consequences you encounter. And then there are those referees that want to take center-stage and be the main attraction. If you really have played basketball, you know those kind of refs … that blow their whistle every twenty seconds even when it’s not necessary. I learnt from a pro ref (a good one) that the flow of the game is what’s most important … even more important than calling every violation … it’s the secret ref code (I think) … I mean, what’s the point of the game if it isn’t fun to watch or play? … After all, it’s called refereeing, not “witch hunting.”

Any person that craves attention has no business being a referee. Referees, as uncelebrated as they are, wield great power on the outlook of games, seasons and even the economies of leagues … their decisions influence so many other areas that you probably wouldn’t link directly to them.

And with great power comes great responsibility.

In conclusion, I would say that being a referee is not for the faint hearted. Refs, no matter how well they perform, will always remain in the background, but the day they get it wrong? SHOWTIME!… everyone will know who that ref is…

So let’s put the respect on

REFEREES … THE UNSUNG HEROES, THE GLORIFIED VILLIANS