Ways to Address Poor Officiating

Q17- What is the best way for a coach to address poor officiating? How should a coach help his team deal with poor officiating?
Mark Johnson
Alaska

Dear Coach Johnson,

An official does not have the job of deciding who wins or loses a game. Their job is to see that the rules of the game are fairly enforced. I think the biggest problem with most players and coaches is when they feel an official is not being fair. Fairness is subjective, and not controllable, rules are objective and can be enforced. I think the best way to approach an official is as calmly as possible and in a position where they are not embarrassed in front of the public. This may be a quiet conversation on the sideline, or before, or during the halftime if you have legitimate questions concerning the officiating in the game. The worst mistake you as a coach can make is to question an officials judgment in a blatant way in order to embarrass an official. Officials are humans and they react just like you to criticism, especially critical words in public.

I have always had two rules. First if there is a problem, the players take it to the captain of the team. They are designated by the rules to be allowed to ask for clarification of the rules. Your captain should be a player that is intelligent, can communicate effectively and diffuse potentially explosive situations. They are the ONLY player that talks to the officials. Secondly, when pressure needs to be applied on an official the coach does it. This great game we play isn't perfect nor are any coaches or officials that contribute to it's success. People make mistakes, and we must live with them. I sit on my players hard to stay off the officials. In most cases a player or teams yelling at officials are distracted from executing what needs to be done to win a game anyway. I can't say this hasn't happened to me as a coach however when it begins to happen I know I have lost control as a coach, and am not doing my job.

When I must speak to an official I have always taken the approach of asking them to have a firm line in their officiating. Players have the greatest difficulty with an officials crew that calls the game loose for 5 minutes and than tight for 5 minutes. Of course this is the most difficult job for the officials. Players will take what they give them. A firm line established early in a game if the best path to a well officiated game. Whether the game is called tight or loose, we as a team must adjust. We can't complain about tight officiating for 30 minutes and allow our opponent to shoot 30 foul shots, then cry after the game about poor officiating. What was poor was our ability to adjust to the line the officials established.

Some of the most effective communication with officials is not by what you say, but what you don't say. One of the best coaches I had the opportunity to coach against at the professional level, would simply have several different stares to communicate his dissatisfaction. Without embarrassing the official the point would be communicated. I think a great way to communicate with officials is through humor as well. Humor can defuse many tense situations. If something humorous happens laugh with them.

Finally, compliment the officials when they do a good job. This doesn't mean slapping them on the back because they make the critical call which resulted in game winning free throws. Give them credit when they are in good position, or hustle to make a call on the fastbreak. Tell them they've made a good call even if it goes against your team. This demonstrates your fairness to them, and you'll more likely get fairness back from them.

I can't honestly say that I never chewed on the ears of a few officials, but I have a great respect for what they do. It is not an easy job, and the fans never ask for their autographs. Their work should be appreciated as an important part of the game.
Thanks for Asking the Coach