In Reply to: Is there a referee in the house? posted by lafong on January 30, 2026 at 08:35:22
in the eighties and nineties. I only did it a few times and that was enough. I never wanted to ref and was asked to occasionally when the refs didn't show up for a game. I thought I did a pretty good job but I really hated it. This was a summer league game with no pressure, a very sparse crowd (mostly parents) and absolutely no consequences. I couldn't believe the level of complaints. Finally I stopped play and told the players and coaches that I was filling in so they could play and everyone needed to just shut the f__k up. I told the coaches to deal with the parents and we got back to it. After that things moved very much more smoothly. I mentioned that I thought I did a pretty good job and I was aware of not calling every foul because I wanted to let the play flow. Literally, I could have called multiple fouls on every play. So, trying to find some level ground where play could flow to some degree I had to let some things go. The players and coaches and even parents didn't have a clue or didn't care and wanted the fouls called that were against their opponents every time on both sides. I tried to make things as even as possible. I understood the outrage, but they didn't understand the complete situation. Until I read everyone the riot act they just acted totally selfishly and IMO immaturely. Yes, it's a thankless job and I have a lot of respect for those who choose to do it. As an aside, there was an ex-player who went into reffing to stay close to the game. I don't know how he dealt with all the flack but he did seem to enjoy it. His name escapes me but he played at a high level from Fullerton State and I believe played professionally. Bless his heart.