Unscrupulous Referees, Shady Umpires, Cheating Judges–These three types of individuals who are involved in youth sports, are a coach’s WORST nightmare and they can be a tremendous challenge to deal with throughout your season.
As you develop strategies from game to game, to compete against a team of your peers, you simply do not have the time to also compete against those who are in charge of overseeing the competition. It seems like an extraordinary waste of valuable energy, right?
As a youth coach, you place tremendous faith in the abilities and competencies of referees, umpires, judges and other league officials, to be fair and impartial when officiating a game, regardless of the sport. You also desire for your players to have faith in the system. We could all acknowledge that to be a foregone conclusion, that doesn’t even need to be held in dispute. When that trust is broken, you AND your team can feel frustrated and powerless to do anything about it.
Hi gang! Coach Paul here, at your service! Today, we will see what we can come up with, to identify the best practices for handling ethical dilemmas in youth sports officiating. When the code of ethics for youth sports officials is not followed, it is up to the youth coach in that moment, to stand up for his/her players.
Buckle up, Buttercup!
Maintain Your Composure
When you witness a referee intentionally doling out bad penalty calls or continually turning a blind eye to an offense done to one of your players, it can truly make you want to blow a gasket. Your players come running up to you throughout a game, with seemingly, countless examples of the referees “playing against them”. The first couple of complaints that you hear, you might just disregard them; shrug them off. That’s fair.
But what if these claims of officiating impropriety become consistent throughout the course of a game or a season? What do you do then? First and foremost, you must stay calm and composed during these unfortunate events. Losing control or arguing excessively, can escalate the situation very quickly and have negative consequences on you and your team.
It is vital that you handle the situation with poise and calm professionalism. Try your best to be as discreet as possible when you make your case to the official. Let them know that you and your players are frustrated with a particular situation that they may be ignoring or paying too much attention to.
Appeal to the official’s logic and common sense, in order that they might see the error(s) in their judgment and make corrections. Be rest assured however, that from time to time your appeals will fall on deaf ears, for whatever reason. When that transpires, DO NOT MAKE *ANY* KIND OF THREAT (VEILED OR OTHERWISE) AND REFRAIN FROM TAKING MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS.
If the situation cannot be resolved quickly and/or satisfactorily, you can certainly make a formal complaint to the respective league offices, about the official’s conduct. Do NOT create any false facts in respect to the officials conduct or behavior. Be 100% truthful in your claims and utilize any credible corroborating witnesses who can legitimately bolster your case. Hopefully the optimum result will be that stern disciplinary action will be taken against the official, depending on the severity of the offense.
Focus on Your Team
With constant claims being brought against the referees/umpires/judges, it is understandable that a game can quickly get out of hand and fall into chaos. Though you want any injustices against your players, to be duly uncovered, you should encourage your players to concentrate on their performance and the game instead of becoming distracted by unfair calls.
Teach them to stay focused on their roles and responsibilities, regardless of these external factors. It is additionally important for you to instill in your young players, the paramount significance of continuing to play within the rules, in spite of any bad officiating or blatant cheating levied at your team, by the officials. This will build resilience and determination with your team, to always try to do the right thing, regardless of the circumstances. A bonus life lesson, if you will!
Lead By Example
This speaks to the previous sections, but I will try to expand on it just a tad bit here. As these events unfold during a game or scrimmage, always show sportsmanship and integrity in your coaching interactions.
Demonstrate a positive attitude, respect for the officials, and fair play during games. Players can often emulate their coaches’ behavior, so modeling good sportsmanship can influence their reactions to those questionable calls on the field.
Also, be mindful that your players’ parents and other spectators are keeping a sharp eye on how you handle these types of situations. Sure, they may share your frustrations about an official’s conduct during a game (they may even voice them aloud during the game), but that does not give you carte blanche to act like a subhuman maniac, looking for your pound of flesh. Be civilized and calm, but firmly let the officials know of your concerns in short order, when you deem the time appropriate to do so. Show your players that you DO feel their frustrations, but maintain your composure throughout.
Teach Resilience and Perserverance
I think that we can all agree that in life, the ball doesn’t always bounce our way and things can go topsy-turvy when we least expect it. This holds true in sports as well. Emphasize resilience and perseverance in your coaching style. Help your players to understand that adversity and unfair calls are an unfortunate part of any sport. Be sure to inform your team that their response and their ability to overcome these kinds of challenges can ultimately determine their success in life in general.
In Conclusion: Can you and your team withstand this onslaught?
In the face of the types of adversities that I have discussed here, you must be able to weather that storm and take it on, head first. For your players, you are the tip of the proverbial spear, and until that game clock reaches 0:00, you must be act accordingly.
It’s important to acknowledge that while cheating officials can be a frustrating matter to deal with, responding with hostility or aggression is not productive. With that in mind, remember these points:
- maintain a focus on your team’s development in spite of cheating and unscrupulous behavior
- prioritize sportsmanship, regardless of what the officials are doing, to intentionally undermine that
- utilize proper channels to address concerns, if necessary
Please feel free to leave a comment below, about this discussion! If not, you can simply say “Hi!”. I like it when people say “Hi!”. And as always…thanks for reading, folks! Happy 4th!