During spring break, I happened to catch a story on the nightly news about the shortage of referees for youth sports across the nation. They then showed several film clips of parents and athletes going after the referees in various sports and activities. This made me think a little bit back to the time when I did coaching and refereeing during my college and early teaching career.
I am a huge sports fan. I love to watch and even participate when given the chance. March Madness is always one of my highlights as a sports fan because you are never sure what will happen. Which team will get a roll (like Loyola) and which upsets will happen. I love to watch college football as well as golf and tennis (two of my sisters played in college). I am a huge Olympic fan (and along with all of America found myself rooting for our gold medal curling team). Sports provide such a great opportunity for people of all ages to take some time out of their stressful schedules and exercise. It gives people a chance to be part of a team. I believe that both exercise and sports are good for one's soul. But what I saw on that news article really made me sad and disappointed about the importance we place on sports at all levels.
When I was in college I was first introduced to refereeing. I was so upset about my intramural three-on-three game (really, come on, who should get upset about an intramural three-on-three game?) that I marched right up to the director of intramurals office and complained and complained and complained. He looked at me intently and then spoke these words: "Do you think you can do better? If so, grab a whistle." And that is how it started. I refereed for all four years of my college career. I moved from ref to scorekeeper to overall basketball supervisor for the entire intramural basketball by the time I was a senior.
As if that wasn't enough, I then had the opportunity to go back while I was teaching and serve as a graduate assistant for the intramural program at my college. It was awesome. I loved being around people who enjoyed playing sports of all kinds. Intramurals were no "March Madness," but it was fun and people enjoyed themselves. Was it intense? Yes. Did I get yelled at? Yes. Did I make mistakes? Oh YES! But in my opinion, the purpose of sport at any level is to have fun. If it is not fun for all those involved, then why do we do it? Now don't take this the wrong way. Do I like to win? Oh yes! Some people will say that I have a very competitive streak in me, but I want to have fun, I want to be part of a team, I want to get and stay healthy. All of those things come from being part of sports.
The last time I checked, all referees and coaches are human. They do their best to make the game a positive experience for those who are playing and watching. We have to remember they are human and they make mistakes. As adults, to lose our cool and "go after" the referees or the coaches is ridiculous. If we continue with this mentality that we as humans cannot make mistakes, there soon will be no one coaching our children and definitely not refereeing games. The next time you go to a game and want to criticize the coaching or the officiating, I would like you to remember these great words that had such an impact on my life so many years ago: If you can do better, grab a whistle. If you can do better, volunteer to coach.
As you prepare for a spring and summer filled with baseball, softball and soccer matches, remind yourself this: You are the adult. How you react toward the referee, coaches and opponents is how your children (and grandchildren) will learn to react to them. Please do not forget your role as an adult, the primary educator for your children and grandchildren.
Give the coaches and the referees your support. It is a thankless job, and they need all the help they can get. Always remember the purpose for your child participating in sports. And also remember that life isn't about being perfect but instead is more about growing into the best person we can be. Be thankful that our children in this community have an opportunity to participate in sports and how lucky they are to be part of a team, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!
- Joe Peters is the principal at St. Victor School in Monroe. His column appears on the second Saturday of each month.
He can be reached at joepeters@stvictormonroe.org.
I am a huge sports fan. I love to watch and even participate when given the chance. March Madness is always one of my highlights as a sports fan because you are never sure what will happen. Which team will get a roll (like Loyola) and which upsets will happen. I love to watch college football as well as golf and tennis (two of my sisters played in college). I am a huge Olympic fan (and along with all of America found myself rooting for our gold medal curling team). Sports provide such a great opportunity for people of all ages to take some time out of their stressful schedules and exercise. It gives people a chance to be part of a team. I believe that both exercise and sports are good for one's soul. But what I saw on that news article really made me sad and disappointed about the importance we place on sports at all levels.
When I was in college I was first introduced to refereeing. I was so upset about my intramural three-on-three game (really, come on, who should get upset about an intramural three-on-three game?) that I marched right up to the director of intramurals office and complained and complained and complained. He looked at me intently and then spoke these words: "Do you think you can do better? If so, grab a whistle." And that is how it started. I refereed for all four years of my college career. I moved from ref to scorekeeper to overall basketball supervisor for the entire intramural basketball by the time I was a senior.
As if that wasn't enough, I then had the opportunity to go back while I was teaching and serve as a graduate assistant for the intramural program at my college. It was awesome. I loved being around people who enjoyed playing sports of all kinds. Intramurals were no "March Madness," but it was fun and people enjoyed themselves. Was it intense? Yes. Did I get yelled at? Yes. Did I make mistakes? Oh YES! But in my opinion, the purpose of sport at any level is to have fun. If it is not fun for all those involved, then why do we do it? Now don't take this the wrong way. Do I like to win? Oh yes! Some people will say that I have a very competitive streak in me, but I want to have fun, I want to be part of a team, I want to get and stay healthy. All of those things come from being part of sports.
The last time I checked, all referees and coaches are human. They do their best to make the game a positive experience for those who are playing and watching. We have to remember they are human and they make mistakes. As adults, to lose our cool and "go after" the referees or the coaches is ridiculous. If we continue with this mentality that we as humans cannot make mistakes, there soon will be no one coaching our children and definitely not refereeing games. The next time you go to a game and want to criticize the coaching or the officiating, I would like you to remember these great words that had such an impact on my life so many years ago: If you can do better, grab a whistle. If you can do better, volunteer to coach.
As you prepare for a spring and summer filled with baseball, softball and soccer matches, remind yourself this: You are the adult. How you react toward the referee, coaches and opponents is how your children (and grandchildren) will learn to react to them. Please do not forget your role as an adult, the primary educator for your children and grandchildren.
Give the coaches and the referees your support. It is a thankless job, and they need all the help they can get. Always remember the purpose for your child participating in sports. And also remember that life isn't about being perfect but instead is more about growing into the best person we can be. Be thankful that our children in this community have an opportunity to participate in sports and how lucky they are to be part of a team, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!
- Joe Peters is the principal at St. Victor School in Monroe. His column appears on the second Saturday of each month.
He can be reached at joepeters@stvictormonroe.org.
