I've never fouled in my life

[oldtimer3]

I have gone to alot of basketball games in my life to include pro and college.  I am amazed at how in today's basketball world no one seems to think that they ever commit a foul.  If a foul is called, it must be a homer call, not the fact that maybe instead of playing good defense I was reaching or maybe I was to lazy to slide my feet and so the ref punished me with a foul.  I understand that there are going to be bad calls, but it just seems like everyone can't wait to get on here and complain about officiating if they lose.  Rather than accept the fact tht another team was better on that night I suppose that it is much easier to blame it on the refs.  Quit whining and work on your skills.

[highsky]

I do see what you are saying...however, officiating CAN be blamed for some games, especially at the JH level.  How can players learn what they are doing wrong if the officials don't call it? 

[CraigS]

Officials NEVER, I repeat NEVER cost a team a win! Even if it's the last call of a game in a game winning situation!

Regardless of the sport, alot of game is played, during 4 quarts, 4 periods, 7 innings, etc, so for one to say that a few calls, or miss calls determined the outcome of game is crazy.......

What if your team hadn't fumbled, or threw the INT, or missed free throws, or struck out......many times teams miss opportunities throughout the game that could have been just a critical........officials do miss calls, so do coaches, so do players......it's all part of the game.......learn to WIN and LOSE gracefully!

[bullets13]

Officials NEVER, I repeat NEVER cost a team a win! Even if it's the last call of a game in a game winning situation!

Regardless of the sport, alot of game is played, during 4 quarts, 4 periods, 7 innings, etc, so for one to say that a few calls, or miss calls determined the outcome of game is crazy.......

What if your team hadn't fumbled, or threw the INT, or missed free throws, or struck out......many times teams miss opportunities throughout the game that could have been just a critical........officials do miss calls, so do coaches, so do players......it's all part of the game.......learn to WIN and LOSE gracefully!

i agree that no matter what the refs do, there are things you could've or could've not done to improve your chances... but refs can cost you a game.  say they are calling cheap fouls and keep your best player out of the game for most of the 1st half and then foul him out early in the second.  or call 20 more fouls on one team than the other, leading to 15 extra points from the freethrow line for one team who should not have gotten them.  there are things that refs can do that affect the entire game, and sometimes so much so that no matter what you could've done better, they cost you the chance to win. 

[bleacher_bum]

I agree with bullets.  Refs can and have, I'll repeat, can and have made mistakes that have changed the outcome of a game.  Saying that no matter what an official or ref does makes no change in the outcome of a game, give me a break.

It doesn't even have to be the last call of a game or even a huge mistake, sometimes a little mistake can be a huge difference.

What happens for the most part is, that officials and refs are consistent enough that the game is on an even field.  Whenever an official or ref becomes inconsistent is when the outcome starts getting more and more influenced. Just my opinion.

[24 over par]

i aggree a level playing field even if its bumpy is alright and if you dont believe a ref can cost you a game i question your judgement

[oldtimer3]

I had a coach once say that if you make all of your free throws and all of your layups, you will never lose a game.  My point to the post was that back in the day you did not have all of the belly aching that I see these days on every call.  I agree that sometimes a bad call can change the tone of the game but that was not really the point of my post.  I have read over and over how the refs cheat this and that yet when I look at the stats a team lost by 5 but they missed 20 free throws.  How did the ref cost them a game, poor free throw shooting cost them a game.  Very rarely does a play come down to the last whistle, you can think back to one play or more that could have changed things.  It also depends upon style of play, if you are overly aggressive on defense such as full press, all of that, you are going to typically have more fouls than someone who lays back in a zone.  You need to accept that as a fact of the game, does not mean the refs were out for anyone.  I have yet to see a team in this area play perfect defense, there is always alot of reaching and such.  Some refs may call a tighter game than others but it is up to the players and coaches to adjust to the game.  I will yell at the officials just as loud as the next guy but ultimately at the end of each game I can go back and look at things that we could have done in spite of the calls.  I watch a game yesterday where a kid griped after each call, even after shoving a kid from behind on a fast break, yet he was still whining.  This just creates bad things as these kids get older.  I played competitive for over 10 years, never agreed with every call but did not swivel my head on each call either, it is just part of the game.  I did learn that if a ref is calling a tighter game then adjust to it, otherwise get ready to eat popcorn on the bench.

[bullets13]

it's really hard to ask highschoolers to stay focused and fight through it when they're getting blatantly cheated.  i was a pretty levelheaded player in my day, but at the age of 16 it was pretty difficult for me to get my head back in a game where i felt like i was being cheated.  that's kind of an x-factor in this debate.  one can argue that a player should be able to overcome a bad ref, but at this age, all the kids have to play for is their love of the game and school pride.  a bad call is to be expected once in awhile, but a poorly-called game is a disservice to young men who are fighting their hearts out to win a game for their school.  if you're getting frustrating all night by the refs, it's going to lead to turnovers, missed freethrows (if you can get a call), and missed shots.  this is true in college and the pros, but especially in HS basketball where these players are still just kids. 

[CraigS]

The beauty of this site is you can voice opinion, you can agree, you can disagree......gotta love Amersica!

Now the facts......If you were to go back to every game and track stats. (Regarless of the sport, but we'll use basketball since we're in the BB forum), you will see:

The number of missed free throws, the number of missed shots (and just count those inside 10'), the number of second shots the other team got (due to lack of defensive rebounding) the number of turnovers (that led to points) will add up to more points in which any team has lost by!

You can have the opinion that the frustration level (due to bad calls) have created these lack of performances, but it still comes down to execution, execution, execution! And for a coach, parent, or fan to state otherwise, only teaches our kids to whine and make excuses, rather than work harder, and eliminate the outside influences to accomplish their goals.

Even if you're right, LIFE is not fair......learn and teach to work through it......not whine and make excuses!

[bleacher_bum]

Now that, I will agree with.  I think a kid should learn that life isn't fair and that complaining about a call will get them nowhere.  Not on the court, on the field or for that matter in life.  I think you'll see that the classier players have already learned this.  Thats why they're classier...Maturity may have something to do with it as well.

I cannot have anything but respect for a kid who just hands the ball to the ref and goes on about his game, even when (or especially when) he has just had a bad call on himself.  Shows a higher level of professionalism.

[warfan]

You guys have all made valid points.  But at the same time I believe the lack of professionalism by (probably) untrained or inexperienced refs have changed the flow of the game.  Take the intense press that quite a few of the successful teams are using, it seems to me ,as stated, they should be drawing the most fouls, well, It's just not happening that way.  Those fouls in the backcourt are just not being called.  Handchecking, traveling and charges are also examples of violations that are not being properly administered.  9 time out of 10 times not making free thows and turnovers cost you the game. But the skill level is being deminished.  Back, a very long time ago and in another dimension when I called I would explain my calls to the players.  I believe the ref can also be a teacher on the court.  But, I am afraid I see very very few teachers calling now.  I have had trouble watching many of the games this year. I gave up refing when my son started playing and it pains me to see the direction it has gone.  It is his last year and, frankly, as much as I love the sport I'm glad.

[oldtimer3]

I think that You are beginning to understand my post.  You are so right that it carries over into life.  Bobby Knight used to talk about the will to win, but he said that it comes down to the will to prepare to win.  It is the same in a game, if you get a bad call, suck it up and get your butt down the floor and make a good play.  The era that we have now has created a bunch of whiners and it starts with the parents.  I would jerk a knot in my kids butt if he pulled some of the stunts that I see.  That is not to say that you have to agree with every call, but if you complain about them all you will never get a call to go your way.

[hawkdad]

i aggree a level playing field even if its bumpy is alright and if you dont believe a ref can cost you a game i question your judgement

I agree with you 100%. By the way, some of the greatest minds in sports realized that officials can determine the outcome of a game with a missed or bad call. That's why you have instant replay in football and replay monitors in Pro Basketball.

[Jdad]

There have been alot of great points that I have taught my players for years. Play the way the refs are calling. Adjust and continue to play as agressive as they let you. Part of the game is learning how to acheive your goals in a not so perfect world, BUT I have also had a ref tell the opposing team what to do to beat my team during a ballgame. My oppinion is 40% of the refs are great at their jobs and tring to get better,30% are young and let coachs and players infuence their calls which lets the whining get results, and 30% should be arrested for inpersonating an official!!! The biggest problem is there is no accoutability for them. I took a team to dallas this summer and the refs were grading each other and learning to do their job better. They knew someone was watching them and it was the best job I have ever seen. Just once I want to see a horrible ref taken out and sent home. I want them to know someone is watching them and they are there to make the players play by the rules that are written that coachs teach and not make up their own rules are ignore rules they don't agree with.

[warfan]

When we were calling, we were monitored and evaluated.  You had to have so many games, hours of instruction and positive feed back from evaluations to advance to the next level.  I know there is a serious shortage of refs and that has a lot to do with this state of affairs.  One way to help is to require college students entering the coaching field to call games.  Another, and this bother me to bring it up because I understand their frustration, is to be much less tolerent with the coaches on the side line.  However, a ref should tune out the crowd and the coach giving more attention to what is happening on the court.  And nothing beats education and evaluation,  nearly all the refs would respond positively if mentored by an experienced professional.

[Jdad]

I agree with your suggestion on college students who are studing to be coachs, And I agree with less tolerant of coachs and players- If everyone was consistant and not let things go one game and call them the next. Consistancy is the most important thing.As for the monitoring there should be a head ref or someone watching games evaluating during the season. Coachs aren't going to do a good job because they will evaluate on if they won are not. If you talk to them right after the game the evaluations would be different than later. There needs to be someone to send a film to when there are really bad calls made for one team or agaist both teams and with punishments. Some need there power trip taken away. Others who do a good job need to be held up above others thanking them for their fairness. I applaud those who do there best for a fair game for both teams.

[bullets13]

fairness is certainly the issue.  i'd rather see a couple of uneducated novices go out and do their best reffing a game than to see an experienced official call a biased game.  i think your idea of having a head official watch the game is a good one, too. it will cost some extra dough, but it will work to ensure that these games are called fairly and accurately.  of course, it would be important that the head official not be from the same place as the game officials.