In what is quickly becoming a U.Va. tradition, the Department of Intramural-Recreational Sports is suffering from a shortage of its own. Unlike other departments, its suffering isn't caused by a scarcity of water or a dearth of funds. It's not even a paucity of printing paper that's plaguing the potential of intramural sports (say that five times fast). Intramural Sports this semester is facing the problem of not having enough officials to referee all the time slots people will sign up for tonight.
As an avid intramural sports participant and a dedicated basketball official, this problem affects not only me but also everyone else interested in playing intramural sports this semester. This season, students can play 5-on-5 basketball, volleyball, inner tube water polo, or a new addition to the intramural sports repertoire, floor hockey.
Intramural sports is one of the most successful programs here at the University, but it is in jeopardy of having to limit the number of participants due to a shortage of officials.
As any fellow player would agree, what's better than having one referee to yell at and complain about? Two officials to yell at and complain about! Without the officials, on whom will most teams blame their losses? How they actually played? No, of course not. They'll blame it on a lack of referees, or that the ball had too much air in it or the water in the pool wasn't "wet enough" for their inner tube. They'll always come up with something.
Having been a basketball referee for two full years now, I have witnessed one of the most amazing streaks in intramural sports. Of the hundreds of fouls I have called, not a single time has the player who committed the infraction agreed with me. If you ask the players, I don't think they've ever committed a foul in their life. The standard response seems to be: "What!? On me!? Are you kidding? Did you not see what the guy on the other team did!? You've got to be kidding!" Sometimes they'll change a few words, but the general sentiment tends to be the same.
With all that said, however, the benefits of being an official far outweigh the players' reactions to a blown whistle. First, you automatically gain respect for the zebras when you become one yourself. I have a far greater appreciation for those in the striped shirt than I ever had before becoming one. I realize there is a lot that goes into being a good referee.
Second, the pride of officiating a good game brings me a lot of joy and a feeling of accomplishment. Third, you see the game you play from a totally different angle as an official. You see what you can and can't get away with as a player. You see the little things you could do as a player to gain an advantage. Equally important, you realize that officials, although they undoubtedly can have an impact on the game, rarely are the reason for the end result.
There also exists a friendly camaraderie among the officials. When you are a player, you already know the referees and their styles before stepping onto the court or into the pool. My favorite part of being a referee is that I'm getting paid to watch basketball. Not only do I get to scout the competition, but I also get to watch great games and get some spending money for doing so.
If you have a passion for basketball, field hockey or volleyball, then being a referee could be a great experience. If you have a passion for inner tube water polo, well then -- simply put -- you have a serious problem and need counseling.
Please don't take this as a public service announcement saying you should become a referee. I hate when anyone tells me I should do something. But if you have ever been interested in being an official in any sport or wondered what it would be like, then maybe this is the time to try it out and see if being a referee is for you.
If nothing else, it will give me one more official to yell at.
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