Blowing the Whistle on Poor Behavior at Sporting Events

Recently I covered a high school basketball game of a very successful program. This team is currently undefeated and the school won a state championship in hoops just a few years back. Their coach gets the most out of a team and is a large part of the school's success.

But during the game he spends more time berating officials than he does coaching his team.

I was interviewing him after the game and one of the officials walked by. The coach reached out to the ref, but the official wanted no part of him. Without breaking stride, the ref let him know that he made it personal in his attacks during the game and that he would have no part of any apology. The last thing the coach said before the official walked out of the door was - I'm only human.

Too bad he didn't give the ref that same benefit of the doubt during the game.

Television commentators will praise a coach for "working the officials" during a college basketball game. But there is a definite line between standing up for your players and being a jerk. However, it seems like more and more that coaches are falling on the wrong side of that line.

And that behavior translates to the fans in the stands.

Now, I know full well that there is a long history of fans antagonizing the officials of any sport. But the level of criticism that I witness at college and high school basketball games today is unacceptable. The officiating in the professional leagues often leaves a lot to be desired. What makes a fan at a high school game think he's going to see a better job by the refs than what they get in the NBA?

When you go to see a sporting event, the story is the game played on the court or field. Too many fans cannot accept that they are not the story and do whatever they can to vault themselves into the spotlight. This behavior can manifest itself in various forms. Spectators can paint their faces/bodies in their team's colors to draw attention to themselves. Often they form groups during the games and come up with vulgar cheers. But the most common form of this behavior is officiating the game from the stands and criticizing every call that seemingly goes against your team.