This is why people do not want to become sports officials: Death threats

… NCAA referee inundated by Kentucky fans 

Many in Pennsylvania lament the fact that no one wants to become a sports official today.

But, there are good reasons.

For instance, they read about the story of John Higgins, who has had to ask for police protection because of threats made to him, his family, and his business … all because of a call that he made in a basketball game.

Actually, this was a big basketball game, and the call was one that basketball fans at the University of Kentucky dispute.

North Carolina defeated the Wildcats, 75-73, on a last-second shot by Luke Maye. That gives the Tar Heels a chance to play for the national championship instead of Kentucky.

So, it was a heated game.

Background

Part of that animus from Kentucky fans started with comments made by Kentucky Coach John Calipari, who blamed personal foul calls on his players for the loss. He has a right to express that opinion, and the official knows that he must be willing to accept the opinions of coaches, even if they are wrong.

However, that is bad sportsmanship. He could have complained about how his team did not play very good defense on the play on which Luke Maye scored the winning basket.

He could have complained about how a good coach would have called a timeout to set up a defense after his team had tied the game at 73-73 in the final seconds.

He could have questioned whether he used the right defense or right offense in the game.

Instead, Calipari started his post-game press conference by saying, "You know, it's amazing that we were in that game where they practically fouled out my team. Amazing that we had a chance," he said, according to the AP.

Blame the officials, don't look in the mirror.

Sleazy fans

This week, outraged Kentucky fans deluged Higgins with harassment and death threats. According to Capt. Kevin Griger, who is the investigations commander for Sarpy County Police Department, Higgins' roofing company received approximately 3,000 harassing emails and a slew of phone calls complaining about Higgins's call, according to the AP.

In addition, the company's Facebook page "also was inundated with negative comments about Higgins and the quality of his company's work. Griger described it Wednesday as an orchestrated effort to 'run down his Better Business Bureau rating'," the AP noted.

Higgins also received death threats on his home phone, which has an unlisted number.

NCAA response

The NCAA is upset with the situation, although it claims that Higgins will still officiate in the Final Four this weekend. "John is one of the most experienced and qualified college referees in the country, evidenced by his many years of officiating during March Madness, and for some fans to not only question his character but also criticize his private business is unfortunate," Dan Gavitt, the senior VP for basketball, said. "While we understand it's nearly impossible to officiate a game without fans getting upset about a call, it's also important that behavior during or after a game reflects the same standards of good sportsmanship that we encourage of our coaches and student-athletes."

On a smaller scale …

However, this is occurring at the local level, even in elementary sports. In Blair County, officials with the recreation organization are working to reduce the lack of sportsmanship that they have in their amateur games.

Parents are part of the problem, but a lack of sportsmanship on the part of many involved in the sports is concerning. This includes coaches and directors of the schools and teams.

Disagreements are normal

There are always going to be disagreements with officials. As a coach, I certainly disagreed with calls made by officials, but honestly I cannot say that we ever lost a game because of a crooked ref. I did have a major disagreement with an official in Pittsburgh when coaching at St. Francis, but he was not a homer. Just wrong, in my opinion.

However, I never said to our team that we lost because of the officials. That call hurt, but our defense just could not stop the other team when it had to in the fourth quarter.

So, why officiate?

I am not certain why young people do not want to become officials. Poor pay is probably one reason when weighed against the criticism that you receive.

However, when people come after you like they did with Mr. Higgins, then you have to question whether or not it is worth it. Those officials in the NCAA tournament are paid well, but still, why put yourself through this if personal recriminations and death threats are the result?