Basketball Officials Are a Dying Breed Thanks to Poor Sportsmanship
By Ken Reed
In a 2017 survey of 17,000 sports officials (referees) across all sports, 57 percent said sportsmanship was getting worse, while only 16 percent said it was getting better. The numbers were worse in basketball specifically, in which 65 percent of officials said sportsmanship is on the decline.
It’s not a coincidence that the decline in sportsmanship is mirrored by a decline in the number of active officials. The nation is experiencing a referee shortage, in multiple sports, and the shortage correlates closely with the decline in sportsmanship.
Officials are quitting due to the poor behavior of coaches, fans, players and parents. Referee abuse is a problem from the pro level down to the little league level.
More than 70 percent of new referees in all sports quit the job within three years, according to the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO). The chief cause? Pervasive abuse from “adults” (coaches, fans, parents).
Numerous youth and high school games have been cancelled this year due to the shortage.
The problem trickles down from the top. The behavior of NBA coaches and players is feeding the problem, as seemingly every call made in an NBA game is met with coaches and/or players whining and arguing with the official while waving their arms around in disbelief.
One step down from the NBA, boorish behavior by coaches and fans is a growing problem at the college level.
NCAA basketball official John Higgins and his family received death threats, and his roofing-and-siding business received thousands of harassing phone calls and an onslaught of negative reviews, after Kentucky lost a quarterfinal game against North Carolina during the 2017 men’s basketball tournament. Angry Kentucky fans felt Higgins was the reason their team lost.
“We’re under the highest amount of scrutiny we’ve ever been under,” said Mike Reed, a Division I official since 1994 now entering his 13th N.C.A.A. tournament.
Earlier this season, at the Mountain West men’s basketball tournament, New Mexico coach Paul Weir was given a technical foul for running down the sideline screaming at the official after a questionable call.
Soon after, New Mexico fans in the arena began chanting, “You suck, ref!”
No, what sucks in this situation is the behavior of players, coaches, fans and parents towards game officials.
Referee abuse, and the resulting shortage of officials, is a significant national sports issue and it’s not going to get better until the “adults” involved with our games improve their behavior.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #22 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Rethinking Sports Fandom with Author Craig Calcaterra – We discuss Calcaterra’s new book “Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game” and explore new ways to be a fan in the year 2022.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts; PocketCasts; & Anchor
Episode #21 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Chatting About a Broken Game With Baseball Writer Pedro Moura – Moura is a national baseball writer for Fox Sports. We discuss how and why the game of baseball is broken, what factors caused it, and offer a few thoughts on how to “fix” a great game.
Episode #20 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Coaching Youth and High School Sports Based On What’s Best for the Athlete’s Holistic Development – We chat with long-time youth, high school and college basketball coach Jim Huber.
Episode #19 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Capturing the Spirit of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with Anika Orrock – We discuss the hoops AAGPFL women had to jump through to play the game they loved as well as the long-term impact and legacy they have in advancing sports opportunities for girls and women.
Episode #18 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking about the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and the Lia Thomas Controversy with Nancy Hogshead-Makar – Hogshead-Makar is a triple gold medalist in swimming, a civil rights attorney and CEO of Champion Women.
Episode #17 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking Sports With Legendary New York Times Sports Columnist Robert Lipsyte – We chat about Lipsyte’s amazing career and some of the athletes he covered.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- League of Fans Sports Policy Director Ken Reed quoted in Washington Post column titled "What happened to P.E.? It’s losing ground in our push for academic improvement," by Jay Mathews
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books