Dr. Lynn M. Jamieson, Professor Emerita
This is the first article in a series devoted to the practice of officiating. We will cover this very important, and often overlooked role, of those who are involved with guiding the game and enforcing the rule structure that forms the framework of the competition. Officials are key to competition that is fair and conducted according to the code of conduct and rules governed by an organization. This often difficult and taxing role is performed by people who take the time to become certified, often in addition to their “day job”.
While we address the many management issues affecting sports, particularly in these unusual times during the pandemic, it appears that we are ever more concerned with the role of game officials in providing regulatory actions to adhere to rules and regulations. The role of the official (referee, umpire, judge) is often understudied and underappreciated. Their role, however, is perhaps the most important part of the sport environment. This report will address the current status of sport officials, issues being encountered, and potential solutions.
First and foremost, there is great concern over the attrition of available officials to provide support for sport contests. The issue of sport official attrition was underscored by Warner, Tingle & Kellett (2013) in a study of former basketball referees and why they dropped out. Key factors included6 key themes: Problematic social interaction, Training/Mentoring, Lack of referee community Lack of administrator consideration, Administrative decision making, and sport policies. These were said to cause referees to drop out of sport officiating.
Livingston et al, 2017 reported Canadian attrition rates “in excess of 20%” (p.1) means that the dropout rate for officials may be a constant problem now and, in the future, (1). Noted in their article was the fact that this issue was not really addressed in sport research articles. By enlisting 20 participants in a consensus-building research exercise, it was found that the topic of sport officiating was “understudied and undervalued” and needed attention. To underscore the issue of retention, Dosseville, Rioult, & Laborde (n.d) surveyed 1718 sport officials to ascertain their motivation, training, stress, skills, and functionality (2). It was found that the intention to become a dropout was related not to intrinsic motivation but more to their sense of obligation to fulfill the need, and this acts as a preventive measure for dropping out.
Obviously, the role of the official is complex, and often extremely stressful. Depending upon the sport, training, and development of officials is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult as rule and policy changes require constant surveillance and retraining. Organizations are constantly in need of upgrading training materials, rule changes that need to be published, and responding to actions that initiate more change. A typical official is not a full-time professional, and lack of time to constantly update oneself and address how the rule changes are implemented can be a major source of stress. Further, the time spent in preparing for officiating roles is not compensated for, and when an official receives payment for a job, the hourly rate is small if the time spent in training were factored in. As a former gymnastic judge, I spent countless hours going to clinics, studying for exams, and preparing for judging experiences while maintaining a full-time job in the parks and recreation profession and having major family responsibilities as well. As the sport of gymnastics became more and more complex with new moves and faster-moving skills, I could no longer keep up. Even though I fully enjoyed the role of judge, my full-time job commitments and increasing need for training were no longer feasible, so I discontinued my role.
The other factor closer to the main topic of this website and blog is the nature of officiating today. More and more officials are involved in altercations initiated by irate players, coaches, and fans. Orr and Jamieson (2020) relate many instances of referees being accosted, lock in rooms, vandalized, hit with debris, and placed under extreme pressures to perform (3). Many drop out because the potential violence just simply is not worth it. A recent example was an Indy Star report about out-of-control parents in Westfield, Indiana who body-slammed an official in a girls’ travel basketball game (4). In this case, a controversial call resulted in spectators filming the referee at close range, a referee punching a spectator, and people punching the referee. Police were investigating the melee at the time of this writing.
The other little researched area and one that will become a topic for a future paper is the adverse pressure brought on by increased gambling interests. What is the effect on officials of the increasing presence and involvement of fans in gambling on sports? Are some officials unduly pressured to shave points, call fouls inconsistently, or other mechanisms that cause the odds to shift? Is that pressure also a cause for officials to leave the field?
What can we do to encourage people to consider getting the training and opportunity to officiate sport events? In general, the game environment needs to be re-evaluated to make sure that those who officiate are protected from those who would create a potentially violent episode. Rules involving spectators should be enforced to prevent officials from verbal or physical attacks. Some communities require fans to be silent during games. Others remove their children from situations that appear abusive. In the end, everyone needs to be vigilant of abusive behaviors and stop them when they occur. Improved ways to report bad behavior and consequences when these incidents occur can go a long way to preserving players, officials, staff, and fans. It is a matter of positive governance in sport environments.
References
(1). Livingston, L. A., Forbes, S. L., Person, N., Camacho, T., Wattie, N, & Varian, P. (2017). Sport officiating recruitment, development, and retention, A call to action. Current Issues in Sport Science, 2.o11.doi:10.15203/CISS_2017.11.
(2) Warner, S., Tingle, J. K., & Kellett, P. (2013). Officiating attrition: Considering the experiences referees from a sport development lens. Journal of Sport Management, 27(4), 316-318.
(3). Orr, T. J. & Jamieson L. M. (2020. Sport and Violence: A Critical Examination of Sport. Champaign-Urbans, IL: Sagamore and Venture.
(4). Benbow, D. A. (2021). Brawl erupts at travel girls basketball game in Westfield, ends in ref being body slammed. https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/04/15/a-basketball-ends-brawl-involving-ref-spectator/7233512002.