What If I Chose Gratitude Over Grumbling?

Ejecting a Spectator: When heckling crosses the line (Doug Benc/Getty Images)

The recent snowfall here in Central Virginia threw the basketball schedule into chaos. Several high school games had to be rescheduled, creating a busy week of officiating for me.

While plenty of officials work more games than I do, I ended up officiating six games this week. And there was one thing they all had in common: whining.

Players. Coaches. Fans.

Now, before you think I’m jaded or oblivious to the mistakes officials make, let me assure you, I made my share this week. I gave the wrong signal when a girl traveled, got out of position during rotations, pointed the wrong direction while signaling out of bounds (though I said the right team color), and possibly made two incorrect calls.

This week I officiated boys’ and girls’ junior varsity (JV) and varsity games, and the whininess spanned all levels.

In a boys’ JV game, our head official had a stare-down with a coach who was ranting about a call. The official calmly, but firmly held the ball, waiting for the 10 players to resume, while the coach kept going.

In a boys’ varsity game, we had to call a technical foul on a player who missed a dunk but did a chin-up on the rim—a technical by the rulebook. Later in the same game, a player claimed he got hit in the face and wouldn’t let it go, earning himself a technical foul as well.

In Thursday’s varsity girls’ game, a coach pressed me hard about why I didn’t call a five-second closely guarded violation. I tried to explain that from my angle, it looked like the dribbler’s head got past the defender’s shoulders, but that explanation wasn’t acceptable to the coach.

In the girls JV game I officiated on Friday night, the assistant coach for the visiting team was complaining in the fourth quarter that we needed to call it both ways and how we were being unfair to her team. I reminded her that we called six fouls on the home team in the third quarter to her team’s one or two. And she just kept jawing at me, so after three warnings of “That’s enough,” I had to issue her a technical foul, which carried consequences for her team (and the game).

The varsity girls’ game on Friday had no technicals, but both coaches spent the entire game whining:

• “She’s pushing off!”

• “That’s an illegal screen!”

• “She didn’t even touch her!”

• “He’s telling his girls to foul, and you’re letting it go!”

• “Somebody’s going to get hurt out here!”

• “That’s a ticky-tack foul!”

• “That should be an intentional foul!”

And the classic from both sides: “Call it both ways!”

Meanwhile, fans in the stands—self-proclaimed experts on basketball rules—added their own commentary. Players argued about fouls, sometimes without realizing the call wasn’t even against them.

Is it any wonder there’s a shortage of officials?

I wish coaches, players, and fans understood that no amount of complaining will change a call. Occasionally, a partner might correct a missed call after conferring, but that has nothing to do with a coach’s protests.

Reflecting on this, two verses came to mind:

Philippians 2:14-15: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky…”

Luke 12:25: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”

Why do we argue, complain, and worry? It rarely improves the situation. More often, it just leaves us more frustrated and angry.

My encouragement is simple: instead of grumbling or arguing, let’s shine like stars, reflecting Jesus’ goodness, grace, and love in our lives.

Anyway, I was just thinking…