Well the “replacement”
referees of the NFL have been exiled, and the “regular” referees returned to a
standing ovation, only to be booed ten minutes later. We all learned that the
job of a referee is not easy and requires training, experience and presence. The
NFL along with most fans assumed anyone could be a referee, now we know this is
not the case. For one thing referees have to have enough integrity not to be
corrupted, but that is only the beginning Good referees must not only be
technically competent but must possess the authority and leadership to control
the culture of the game on the field.
All sport competitions are
GAMES, and games depend upon rules. The rules define the purpose and internal
coherence of the actions among players. Rules define who wins and loses, how to
score and above all what behaviors are permitted in pursuit of scores and
victory. In the crucible of competition, rules require authoritative
interpretation to hold the game together.
The replacement referee experience reminds us how central a “good”
referee is to making sports competition work.
I want to think about the ethical
and social role that referees play in sports competition. They key lies in the
fact that referees act as the
authority in a game. Good referees know how to technically call the game but
good refs also influence the culture of play on the field with their authority.
Both functions are vital and related.
·
They regulate the game by technically interpreting
rules. They make calls and call fouls and enforce rules and penalties.
·
They control the “tone” and “tempo” of the game and
profoundly influence on field attitudes and potential for mayhem.
First, the technical
competence involves more than book learning. Like most professional areas,
sports competition segments into levels of expertise and elite competition. As
the level of competition rises, the speed, size and stakes or the games grow,
so do the technical demands on the referees.
To be a technically
competent referee a person must:
- Understand rules and be technically competent:
- Understand patterns of play;
- Be able to see violations under pressure and speed of play;
- Be clear and decisive in the calls;
- Know the tricks of the trade where players hide violations or fake being fouled;
- Withstand intimidation that players, coaches and crowds will bring pressure upon a referee.
Even good referees will
make mistakes just like good people will make mistakes. The key lies whether
the error is an anomaly in a competent performance. If the referee or umpire
has earned respect and credibility over time, people will give the referee the
benefit of the doubt. They will “live with” the mistakes in light of an overall
competence and professionalism that the players and coaches trust.
Experienced players and
coaches know that mistakes happen and that mistakes tend to even out over the
course of a game and season. You win some you lose some. This is true even as
stakes go up.
While fans, coaches, and
players may scream and yell, most will accept mistakes from honest and
competent referees whom they know they will see again. This is doubly important
so players can “let go” of a bad call and get their head back into the game. Players
know that they will face these referees in the future. No player wants to
create permanent animus with a referee who will judge him or her on a regular
basis. The inexperienced and marginally competent replacement referees
aggravated both these issues as players could not let go and eroded the
authority and position of the judges.
Good referees earn a
deeper authority and respect to perform the most important function. The
“calls” take place in the context of the tempo, flow and feel of the game.
Referees control the feel of the game, the level and type of social interaction
among the players and set the critical boundaries for behavior that limits and
focuses aggression and ferocity of players. Sometimes teams simply do not like
each other and bring a deeper level of antagonism onto the field. Good referees
channel the competitive energy, bound the potential hostility and keep
opponents from turning into enemies on the field of play.
Players compete to win.
They hate to lose. They strive for every minute advantage. Top competitors will
live at the edge of the rules pushing to maximize any competitive advantage. In
the heat of high stakes competition egged on by coaches and wild fans, players
need incredible self-control to keep focused and keep their cool. They have a
hundred reasons to get angry or retaliate during any game. Many players spew an
endless stream of vitriol to get inside player’s heads and get them to lose it.
Referees buttress the
players self control, and like parents referees give players an extra reason
and incentive to keep it together under stress or temptation.
Holding the competition
together involves artful leadership. One size does not fit all given the
differences among players but also game contexts. Sometimes referees might calm
players. They may talk, joke, and touch them. Sometimes they explain, sometimes
stare down, sometimes coldly ignore. Somehow referees have to ignore and tame hyperthyroid
coaches ranting at them. A referee may ignore a host of minor or meaningless
violations to maintain a level of play and tempo and will focus upon critical
or impactful violations. A referee can warn sometimes but at a critical moment
may make a hard and harsh strategic call to affirm a boundary of behavior.
So controlling the tenor of
the game involves a tightrope. You can hear coaches, crowds and announcers
screaming “let them play.” It sometimes can feel like the “referees have taken
control of the game” by their obvious and limiting calls. We talk about “ticky
tack” fouls for minor infractions. Constant foul calls destroy the chance for
either team to gain rhythm or momentum. This undercuts the skill and
proficiency of both teams as well as enjoyment of the game. Yet at other times,
players verge on violence; too much pushing too much after the play contact;
too many hard fouls. The sport does not matter, but at the tipping point where
aggression erupts into mayhem decisive referees must do the exact opposite and
call some hard and quick and decisive fouls to stop the spiral of anger and physical
contact that can coil out of control. They have to take control of the game.
In the NFL debacle the
referees were bad on two counts. They were not corrupt and were well
intentioned, but they were not competent and they had no authority. The more
errors they made the less chance they had to develop authority. So the number
of minor skirmishes escalated; coaches grabbed them; players pushed and
informal violence on the field crept up along with the bad calls and wavering
decisions.
The downward vortex of
disrespect, errors, mounting violence and frustration were destroying the game
on the field and endangering players. Good referees create a holding
environment for the competitive passion and ferocity and tension of the game.
A friend who is a superb referee once told me, "I know I have done my job when I am invisible." He got it exactly right, a good referee shapes and flow and fairness and competence of a game that enables the players to play at their highest capacity and we focus on the play, not the rules. This NFL experience had
far less to do with the technical competence and far more with the deeper moral
role of referees as the stewards of behavior and culture on the field of play.
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