You want to bitch about bad football refereeing, go to a High School football game

[trumad]

First off let me say that you get what you pay for. These Ref's come from their day jobs to Ref the high school games and get paid very little to do so.

So--- I don't get to worked up about how bad they can be.

My son plays varsity football in the Orlando area so I go to all his games.

My curse is that I've watched football for 40 plus years which makes me an experienced armchair quarterback. IE: I pretty much know every facet of the game. This can make me a pretty obnoxious fan sitting in the stands and I can be quite vocal.

My outbursts consist of --OH COME ON, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!--- or----HOLDING--- YOU DIDN'T SEE THE HOLD!

Fortunately there are other fathers and some mothers yelling right along with me.

I'm trying to curb my outburst because my wife threatened to not sit with me at the games.

The Refs:

Sometimes the Ref's are pretty decent--but other times they look like the Keystone Cops.

In the 6 games played this season I've seen at least a dozens penalties called off ---you know---they pick up the yellow flag and do the Marie Antoinette wrist wave.

These wave-off's usually come after the Ref's convene in the middle of the field for a good 5 minutes.

But here's the funny thing about the wave-off's... they should have never been waved off.

Encroachment--- I see it... the crowd see's it---and the Ref who threw the flag see's it...

5 minutes later after the Ref's council each other--- they call it off.

It's encroachment--or it's not encroachment. I don't think that's a very ambiguous call.

Illegal motion--- The Ref throws the flag when the right tackle jumps before the ball is snapped--- 5 minutes later they wave it off.

Running into the kicker---happens all the time in High School football.

I've seen a couple of wave-offs on that one. Defense comes in--- hit's the kicker---penalty--- wave-off.

Holding--- wave-off

pass interference---wave off.

During last Friday's game the Ref flagged my kids team for defensive holding---------on a running play.

The call was so lousy my kid's head coach called a timeout just to talk to the Ref.

These calls or lack of calls go against both teams.

I do give these Ref's props for coming out to Ref these games and do the best job they can. I have noticed that after the games they make a beeline to their cars and get the hell out of dodge.

Really can't blame them for it.

[HuckleB]

1. I'm glad you get that they're providing a good service to the community.

I've seen parents of little-leaguers track down a high school age kid who supposedly made a bad call during the game. They'll berate him until he's finally smart enough to walk away.

It's has become ridiculous out there, and I'm starting to wonder if sports is worth it for kids anymore. The parents have destroyed the purpose.

[dakota_democrat]

2. There was an interesting article about 6 months ago in a ND paper

Talking about how there's a massive shortage of refs for high school events.

The paper interviewed referees who had been doing it for awhile, and they attributed it to basically insane fans. One of them said they've seen a shift in how high school sports are valued in the last 20-25 years and that he would've never started refereeing in today's sports climate.

You can only take so much derision for the amount refs get paid. :P

[trumad]

3. I say God Bless these guys for doing it...

if not--- no football.

[Renew Deal]

14. In the "old days" you were mostly immune from criticism.

Unless you blew up a rule, there was no video that showed what happened. The refs word was final. Now refs face constant scrutiny and fans that expect perfection. They are better off expecting perfection from the players than the refs.

[Goblinmonger]

4. Lucky--you're kids on varsity

My son is on his high school's freshmen team. Those are the refs that are either too old (i.e. too bad) for varsity or are in training for varsity so have about 1 game under their belt. Yikes.

But I'm with you. These guys are being paid about nothing to come out and ref a game so kids can play. (OK, people may hear a lot of the same things you mentioned in your post coming from me, too.)

[givemebackmycountry]

5. Well, why don't you take your "football watchin" experience and...

Volunteer to ref a few games yourself Dr. Lou?
I'm sure some kid who's not in the play will hold your beer.

[trumad]

6. Well---

first off---no beer at the High School game.

hey---but nice post anyway douchebag.

[caraher]

7. It's a thankless job

A coworker of my wife used to umpire youth baseball (I'm not sure at what level) and basically drew a line in the sand with parents - which they promptly crossed. He called the game and said they could schedule a time to finish it, but it would be just the two teams and coaches.

I do wonder how many screaming parents have any sense of how hard officiating can be. My first brush with it was serving as a first-base ump when they were short officials, with very young kids just out of T-ball. I certainly knew the rules well enough, but it's amazing how much discipline it takes to actually watch the play develop and make the call at the right time - fan instincts are to anticipate rather than observe, and especially with kids who will do all sorts of crazy, unexpected things, anticipation can get you into trouble if you don't take your time making a call. I also often volunteered as a sideline official for soccer, which got me in trouble with parents because I actually knew the offside rule - most volunteers would simply call which team last touched the ball on out-of-bounds plays.

I coached some rec league youth soccer and we saw some truly insane officiating. The worst was probably the ref who didn't know about corner kicks, and awarded the other team a thrown in taken about four feet from a goalpost! After the resulting goal I had a choice. I could have screamed at the ref... but as coach of a bunch of 9-year-olds what matters more than getting the game called properly is keeping things in perspective. So of course, I had a serious talk with the ref in which I explained the rules of the game, and then I explained to the kids that yeah, he totally blew the call, but we were not going to get anywhere screaming at him about it. I reported his incompetence to the league and we finished the game.

When my son played soccer in high school nothing was more irritating than the other parents in the stands. Where I live now ref abuse is considered part of the game, and the trouble is that while the soccer refs certainly blew plenty of calls, the average parent has no clue about the rules of the game - but don't consider that an impediment to screaming insults for the enforcement of rules they don't understand.

[trumad]

10. Great post...and I 100 percent agree...

Let me be clear again that I think these guys and gals are Saints for doing what they do.

I know they do the best they can----but as a football purist--- I do laugh out loud with some of their calls.

Face it---High school sports begins the serious phase of sports competition. The games actually mean something---playoffs, championships, etc.

So I can perfectly understand when parents of the players shout their disapproval when the see a seriously bad call.

BUT--- these same parents need to temper their disapproval with the knowledge that these guys make about 50 bucks a game and are part time refs.

Unfortunately, many don't and end up looking like total jackasses.

[Renew Deal]

13. Purist?

Do you want to put the goal posts back on the goal line? Do you want to eliminate mouth pieces? Do you want to bring back leather helmets or would you prefer the real old days?

BTW, all refs in football are "part-time" refs. Even in the NFL.

[HuckleB]

17. Sounds like the league is struggling to find refs, which is likely a symptom of "ugly parents."

And some coaches have been just as ugly, in my experience. It's lucky anyone is willing to give it a shot, anymore.

[RockaFowler]

8. This was a bad game

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/sports/local_sports/high_school/highway-robbery-high-school-style

This poor team was ROBBED and on National TV.

And it was the Refs fault entirely.

I understand some Refs are doing a good job, but these Refs were so biased it was unbelievable. They should have used Refs outside of the state or even Pros. It was a shame that the team was treated as poorly as they were.

[caraher]

11. Why should a high school travel halfway across the country to play a game?

The article ends, "A day in which a undermanned team traveled half way across the country to grace the fans of Ohio with a great football matchup. A day in which a team earned the right to celebrate a much deserved victory. and it was all taken away by an agenda that has nothing to do with football being a game."

There should never be a high school game broadcast on national TV, "billed as the high school prequel to the Miami-Ohio State showdown." The "agenda that has nothing to do with football being a game" includes things like national rankings for high school teams. Once you start down that road and start traveling hundreds of miles to take on a similar foe, you're well beyond the point of it being all about the kids.

I've no doubt Dwyer got screwed by home cooking by the refs... I found some video and while I can see how one might blow the call on the catch and argue on the second-last play that he didn't get in, the final play was an obvious TD for Dwyer. While out-of-state refs would make sense for fairness in a game like this, I ask, why play the game at all? Aren't there two high school powers in Ohio who'd love to take the field in Columbus? Can't Dwyer find competition in Florida or Georgia? Or is the reason that ESPN wants an interstate matchup for TV?

[HuckleB]

16. They shouldn't. It's ridiculous. Too much pressure, and too many kids quit because it's no fun.

Parents screaming their heads off like three year olds.

And we wonder why people fall for the GOPer's lies.

[SpiralHawk]

9. Technical Foul on all of yous

That's the way the cookie crumbles. There vill be no dissent (except for Husker fans).

N.B. - The calls in the Texas-Nebraska game were totally sucky. The Longhorns outplayed the Huskers, but the refs sure as shit gave them a big edge with a crapload of cruddy calls.

[Renew Deal]

12. Your post shows your lack of knowledge

And like most fans, you think you "know the rules" or "know football."

Illegal motion has absolutely nothing to do with a tackle jumping. There is another name for that which apparently you don't know.

Running into the kicker is very subjective. How much contact was there? Was it a brush by? Was it a knock down? And if it's a knock down, it's probably not running into, it's roughing. Or was someone blocked into the kicker? That's no foul.

Holding? I doubt you have any idea what REALLY is holding. Anything away from the ball will probably not be called. Most holds that are short of a shirt tug or take-down will not be called. Blocking outside the frame will probably not be called.

Encroachment? What do you consider encroachment?

Pass interference? Really? Was the ball in the air? Was the pass thrown to that side of the field? Was the pass beyond the line of scrimmage or behind?

Defensive holding on a running play is very possible. Did a defensive lineman tackle an offensive lineman to prevent him from blocking a linebacker? Did the defensive end hold the tight end so he can't go out in his pattern? You have to remember that running plays aren't always planned. Sometimes they are pass plays with no open receivers.

The refs don't go to their cars because they just want to leave. They are told to do that for liability reasons.

[Name removed]

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[Sugarcoated]

18. Glad my son had no inerest in Football

[LisaM]

19. Worst I know of - my dad was coaching, and the clock broke, so they kept time on the field

The refs never game my dad the two-minute warning. The team was driving, and thought they had two minutes (at least) left! All of a sudden the half came to an end, and that was that. This was a while ago, before people had all the tools they might have now to keep rough track of it themselves, and it was also a very low level - either freshman, or junior high game - but still!

That said, I've done some refereeing and it's a thankless task. I have a permanent aversion to volleyball now.

[Renew Deal]

20. There is no two minute warning in HS football.

There is a 4 minute warning if the clock is kept on the field. If the clock broke after that, then there'd be no warning.

[LisaM]

21. Maybe it varies by state

There is a two-minute warning in Michigan.

[backwoodsbob]

22. have a friend who refs

he gets shit no matter what for 100 bucks a game.

If he didn't love the hs game he would walk.Nothing worse than heli parents screaming at you over a questionable call in a game that give you grief three days later at the grocery store.And yes he gets grief at the store all the time.

Maybe if some of you hovering parents realized they are trying their best and can't win either way you would cut them some slack.