When Nothing Is Owed Or Deserved Or Expected; And Your Life Doesn't Change By The Man That's Elected...

Having the opportunity to see dozens of high school games each year, I have the privilege to see some of the things that make sports great. Milestones reached. Davids knocking off Goliaths. Come from behind victories that nearly leave you breathless. And while all of those things are awesome, this job also gives me the opportunity to see the less pleasant side of sports as well, namely referee abuse.

I’m the first to admit that there are some bad officials out there, but the times when these officials actually result in a team winning or losing are probably few and far between. Unfortunately, this opinion isn’t shared by a pretty vocal percentage of the fan base of almost every school in our area, and I’m sure well beyond it. It seems like regardless of the call, or non-call in some cases, someone, either a fan or a coach or a player, is always there to disagree with it, usually in a way that would make sailor blush.

Granted, I do take a small level of personal enjoyment from these individuals. Some of my fondest memories of high school were attending games with my buddies and mimicking the random guy that used to call for “THREE SECONDS” and “DOUBLE DIBBLE” every thirty seconds. We’re still not entirely sure what “dibble” means, but he seemed like he knew what he was talking about.

Most of the time, I just find it kind of sad. A lot of these people have kids either on the team or sitting with them at the games, meaning that they are the shining example of how to act. I could totally be off base about this, but it seems like the behavior of fans over the last few years has gotten progressively worse. Assuming that today’s fans learned how to act from the previous generation, things are only going to get worse before they get better.

That’s why moments like the one I witnessed last Thursday give me hope for high school sports. During the girls basketball game between Litchfield and Greenville, Greenville’s Kassidy Alderman drove to the basket, drawing a pretty significant amount of contact along the way. The referees’ whistles would remain silent on the play and Alderman’s shot missed its mark.

The no-call drew the ire of Greenville’s coach, who had been pretty unhappy with the officiating throughout the game as it was. In his defense, the officiating wasn’t particularly good (on either side of the ball) and I can see his hopes of influencing a few calls to go his way.

What really impressed me was Alderman’s reaction to the play. Rather than question the call or get mad about any kind of perceived injustice, Alderman got back on defense and said three little words to her coach that gave me hope for the next generation – “It’s okay coach.” It wasn’t disrespectful. It wasn’t forceful. It was just a quiet little statement that showed me that at least someone in the gym could put the play into perspective. After all Greenville was down by quite a few at the time (late in the fourth quarter) and complaining would probably not help the Lady Comets shake off a cold snap from the field.

Now, I don’t know Alderman, but her actions made me a fan during that game. It gives me hope that those who keep their attitudes and emotions in check will at least even out, if not overtake, those who can’t do so at high school sporting events. I know that’s a lot of pressure to put on a 16 or 17-year-old shooting guard, but it’s the idea that if there is one, there are probably more out there that act in a similar way.

Whether this is the case or not, who knows. Regardless, I’m sure that moment will stick with me the next time I hear the dulcet tones of “THREE SECONDS” echoing through the gym.