Best of 2003: I don't know a ref who likes this venue
The more I think about this piece, the more I think about "mind over matter". If you ref, like when you're carrying a full soup bowl, that you think you're going to have trouble, will you? Or are you merely carrying realistic expectations based on not only your own, but others experiences? This is also a great one on the differences of the indoor game versus outdoor; and when the indoor game is done at any old place, as long as people are willing to pay .I don't know a ref who likes this venue
I woke up this morning to my cell phone going off; I lifted my head slightly, then looked at my cat, curled up next to me with a look in her eye that said the same thing that was going through my head: "Who the hell was calling me on Sunday morning?" And, proving that people choose pets after their own behavior, and what is different begins to merge, we both dropped our heads back to the bed with "Who the hell cares" as the final thought before falling back asleep.
Then the phone rang again.
Usually a second phone call means something is important, so I got out of bed and answered the phone - a number I didn't recognize on the caller ID. It was Michael, who's filling in for the regular soccer coordinator who's out-of-town. "Aaron, can you ref this morning? Please say you can. Please say you can."
The fog starts to lift with the thought of soccer. "Ummm, yeah, I think so. I don't think I have anything going on. What time?"
"10:30."
I look at the clock on the microwave, which reads 10:45, meaning it was in reality an hour earlier (and a constant reminder that it's the last clock in my possession that hasn't been updated). I also take a look out the window; snow. At least a good four inches of snow had fallen, and it was still going pretty well. "There's no way I'm going to make 10:30, no matter where it is. I just got up, I hadn't had breakfast," and what I didn't say is that I know the reason why you're hunting for a referee; people around the state may like to see themselves as the next best thing to mountain men, with their SUVs, but the reality is that they're little different than Tennesseans when it comes to the first snowfall of the year (sorry, Tennesseans, one of my boyhood hobbies was watching people going into a panic whenever there was even a hint of snowfall... in Tennessee).
"That's OK, you can start there late."
"No, there's no way I'm going to get there anywhere near for a 10:30; I can start at 11:30."
"OK, I'll find someone for that first one. The games run until 2:30 at the Y, you can park indoors - just sign in at the desk."
Waitamoment... 2:30? Doesn't the MLS Cup start at 2:30? I know I committed to a starting time, but did I for an ending time? No? YES! "I've going to be out by 1:30, I promised to be with my girlfriend before 2:30." Do I feel bad? Nope - I'm bailing them out, and we were planning on watching the MLS Cup together.
"I can work with that. Thanks, man!"
And then it hit me. One little letter pretty much ensured that I had a better than 50/50 chance of having a not-very-fun time. It was the letter "Y".
The group I ref for has three venues they work through during the winter. Two are at college campuses; one is in one of those air-pressure domes and uses AstroTurf (and I had worked there for two years), the other uses the nice synthetic turf (AstroPlay, for those keeping score). The third is the venue that every referee I know that works for this group hates: the gymnasium at the city YMCA. The reason for these are very straight forward: it's dangerous, it's small, and it just invites people doing stupid things.
It's dangerous: take a basketball court, add the usual amenities like drinking fountains, brick walls, etc., and make them all playable. Basically, it's your typical dasher-board soccer on a wooden floor with additional objects thrown in to make play more dangerous. Despite telling all the teams that I will call the play tighter around the walls (I do NOT want to call the office and explain why someone's brains are smeared across them), I will inevitably get people pissed off for calling things too tight. Which is ironic, because they're usually the same people who whine about things getting too rough (but only about their own team.... hmmmmm...).
It's small: It's a gym with limited area, so if someone gets pissed, there's no place for them to go and cool off. It's a problem waiting to happen in terms of man management.
It just invites people to do stupid things: Nobody really wants to play there. The other locations fill up quickly, and this one, despite being half the price per team, is the refuge of teams who filled out their paperwork late, so they really want to be doing half-field games, instead of quarter-field games. The other problem is better described with rugby. If you watch Fox Sports World, you've seen a lot of rugby lately, and I was told by someone from a traditional rugby nation that Americans can't play the game - not because they don't have the skills, but they don't understand the moderation necessary to play it safely. In short, pointy-ball has corrupted us; we're used to so much padding that we're expected to go full-bore into our opponents, and if you did that in rugby, you would risk serious injury to yourself and your opponent. What's the saying? "Rugby is the hooligan's sport played by gentlemen."
In the soccer-in-a-gym, you cannot play as physical - the environment is too unforgiving - but we're corrupted, thinking everything has to go full bore no matter where, because it's a sign of weakness to not do (especially when one is lacking in the skills to do otherwise). The size and condition are a powder keg, and all you need is one idiot who doesn't understand how to treat that explosive material for the entire game to blow up.
And at that location, it does. Regularly. I refuse to ref there on a regular basis (I'm never too asleep to forget that one), and generally dislike subbing there. But I do, because it helps the group out.
I recognize one of the teams in the first game; gee, let's walk into the ammo dump with burning matches, why don't we? The team name is called the Hooligans, and a better name I cannot think. They have one player in particular who whines continually about everything, and it just pisses the other team off - always. For example, during the game, he got a tiny bit of heel on his shin, sends the ball up-court, then starts winging - I even call advantage, and he's still winging. They score a goal because of the advantage call, and he's still winging!
Here's where it all goes to hell. The Winger boards someone in his own penalty area; I come in blaring his whistle, yellow card already out of the quick-draw pocket, and tell him to get off the court (no real rule for that, but since this league is unaffiliated, there's some leeway), and give the penalty kick.
There is a theory in refereeing that you should obey your instincts when it comes to red and yellow cards; that if you don't know it's a red right away, you'll never sell it, because nobody else does, either, but even more-so, it's probably not worthy of a red. This was my idea at the time, so I pulled the yellow (red never really entered my thoughts); in retrospect, this was the start of the game's deterioration, but you can only change your mind before the first restart; not 10 minutes late. Actually, I still don't think it's a red, but pulling a red probably would have done more for game management than just the yellow.
Few minutes later, player from the other team darts into the wall to take the ball away from someone who already had it, and had position. This player basically throws himself in the wall - but other team wants a foul that I am not willing to give; how could I? If there was a foul, it was against their team for pushing, not boarding. This brings words to the referee.
There is a theory in refereeing that the difference between dissent and abusive language is the word "you". Should someone say to the referee, "That sucks", they would receive a yellow card for dissent; should he, however change one word and one letter to "you suck" and you have a red for abuse language toward the referee. Why do I write about this? Someone decided to use the word "You" addressed to me. Just like I didn't even consider red for the boarding, I considered nothing less for this one. Needless, to say, the team was not happy - all the sudden they want a red card for the boarder and it takes a few minutes before things get settled enough to play (although the red carded player came back out after the game to complain some more, including threatening to complain - something in this league I am NOT worried about - I know the people there well enough that I know they will back me).
I know some experienced referees (even some with National badges) would say that in the interests of man management, I should have red carded the boarder; I know others who would be aghast as even the thought of putting man management in front of the laws. But it was a call that's "in the opinion of the referee", and it's up the players to decide on what to do next. I wonder if there are things that I could have done before the game to keep it from escalating. It's hard to say, given the nature of the game a the gymnasium. Indoor games, even when the field is half-field (as opposed to a basketball court) seems to have tensions up several notches from outdoor; perhaps the only way to avoid situations like that, if you're a referee, is to not work there.