Referee Articles

Referee Notes: Profile of an Official

  Dr. Martin L. Bregman

The following editorial was written by Mike Sowell a Sports Writer for the Tulsa Tribune and published on February 18, 1987. I received permission from Mr. Sowell to use the article and reprint it. It is timeless and should be read by anyone intending to become, or who already is, a referee in any sport. It was originally written for Basketball enthusiasts, but the context is poignant for Judo as well [I've added additional comments]. I hope you all get something from it, I have.-M. L. Bregman.

PROFILE OF AN OFFICIAL by Mike Sowell, Tulsa Tribune Sports Editor, 2/18/87

Unofficial surveys show that the officials are responsible for 99 - or possibly 110 - percent of all defeats suffered by basketball teams [Judo players]. Whether it be out of spite, stupidity, arrogance or blatant favoritism, basketball [Judo] officials seem incapable of performing their jobs without costing one side or the other the victory it so fairly deserved.

Of course, this isn't all bad. At least this way, coaches have convenient scapegoats for all of their shortcomings. People in other professions gladly would welcome the presence of such trusty standbys around to absorb all the blame for what goes wrong. Unfortunately, basketball [Judo] coaches discovered these human punching bags first and are unlikely to give them up now.

So, the question is, who are these men [and women] who so willingly subject themselves to such public abuse?

To provide some insight into the matter, Stuart Jacobson, a licensed social worker, prepared a list of five basic personality groups who are drawn to officiating. These are general observations and are not intended to explain any of the recent problems encountered by Billy Tubbs [coach at Univ. of Oklahoma] or J. D. Barnett [coach at Univ. of Tulsa] nor are they meant to address the alleged racism detected by Nolan Richardson [coach at Univ. of Arkansas] in the Southwest Conference.

The first group consists of the "Judges." "These are people who think and believe they know right from wrong and are obligated to make judgments on everything that happens," said Jacobson. These judges may be very passive in their family setting with the wife and kids. The judgmental aspect of their personalities might only come out in socially accepted positions, such as on the basketball court [Judo mat] with thousands of fans who are passing their own judgments on these judges.

Group two consists of the "Power Hungry." It is important to these people to be seen as the ones who have the clout and are likely to wield it. "They like to be in the position where they have sanctioned authority," said Jacobson.

The third group is the "Pain Hungry." More commonly, those in this category are known as masochists. "For whatever reasons, they feel more comfortable with suffering and abuse," said Jacobson. "They like to be seen as scapegoats - as the bad guys. Frequently, in the family they are the pain-bearers for others. They provoke other family members to use them as punching bags or trash baskets. On the field, they get attent- ion in terms of abuse and they learn to feed on it. Their niche is being labeled the bad guys."

The next group consists of the "Idealists." Here is where we find most of the good officials. "They are into fairness, and they try to be objective," said Jacobson. "They strongly believe in ethical behaviour. They believe that people should treat other people fairly. They are not judgmental or power hungry. They are trying to be fair and objective." Frequently, these idealists are frustrated because there is a lot of abuse in the world, to say nothing of on the basketball court [Judo mat]. Although they may not be able to right much of the wrong in the big world, they can help set things straight on the field of athletic competition, which is a rather noble quest in itself.

The final group consists of the "Problem Solvers." They are like good mechanics, seeing a cause and effect for every action. These are people who enjoy solving problems and puzzles, and they also make good officials. "They are looking for causes of what happens," said Jacobson. "They solve problems. This is not done for power or out of anger, but to make the game more workable."

This is just a general overview of the situation, but perhaps it will help coaches in understanding what makes officials behave the way they do. Coaches desiring more information on this subject are urged to contact a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. For many coaches, this would be some time well-spent.

[Amen to that].