I had an old crotchety teacher in New Jersey named Culpepper, who had a thick Boston brogue, spit when he yacked at us, and actually stroked out during school, getting carried out on a stretcher, never to be the same again. One of his favorite sayings, being the dinosaur he was, was "Jackson, you'ah the no-arth end of a southbound mule." While that was stupid, another of his sayings was not: "How you dress is an external expression of your internal attitude."
Ever see Michael Jordan look like a slob? Nope. Almost always in suit and tie, or some other put together outfit. Always looks like a million bucks. I read once that he was asked about it, and his answer was that he was aware that when people saw him, it was a moment for them, and he wanted to live up to their image of him as a superman. See Jordan with bad breath or shabby clothes? No way. He wouldn't let it happen.
Which brings me to my point. When you show up to a gym, especially for a Varsity HS game or higher, dress the part. I try and wear a coat and tie to every game. Does it make a difference on how I perform on the floor? No. But despite the fact that some would call it a brownnose move, think about these things:
1. You use good mechanics on the floor to look good and sell yourself. It helps with credibility. Think it might help your credibility to look good walking into the gym?
2. Show up in a coat and tie. What does that tell everyone? Cynics call you an ass kisser. Do it consistently, and I think it tells everyone that doing your job that night and being professional is very important to you.
3. Think about the guys with perfectly fitted uniforms on the floor. It makes an impression. So does how you look when you arrive and leave, just like Michael Jordan. Not many folks in a gym are dressed to the nines. It does make an impression.
4. You will get treated better by everyone at the gym, period. They will want to take care of you with respect to your locker room, water, etc. because they'll perceive how important you're taking your job as an official. Trust me.
5. Your wife/girlfriend will like how you look when you leave and get home. ZZ Top is never wrong: "Every girl's crazy about a sharp-dressed man." If you are unattached, you may even get numbers/e-mails from women. Not saying they'll be hot or anything, but it happens.
Act the part, be the part. Always give maximum effort during games. It doesn't take much effort to show maximum effort in how you dress, either. Think about it.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Shout Out!
This blog, for better or worse, is starting to take off. I'm getting hits from all over the place, and I think that is pretty cool. Some of you from California, Texas, and Seattle areas seem to be spending some time reading. I'd love nothing more than to hear some feedback or contributions from abroad, for better or worse. Also, feel free to spread the word. A lot of this material is plagiarized from some of the best around like Mickey Crowley and Dick Cartmell, not just some idiot ranting and raving about obscure rules. If anyone on my crew ever even tried to call a false multiple foul during a game, they'd need a body bag!
I am particularly interested in hearing from the folks from the UK and the United Arab Emirates who have been visiting. That amazes me. Later!
I am particularly interested in hearing from the folks from the UK and the United Arab Emirates who have been visiting. That amazes me. Later!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Envy and Excuses
Big surprise--there are politics in officiating basketball. Simple human nature dictates that all organizations have a social component to them that can dictate the direction of the individuals and the total group. It doesn't matter if you work for a company, are active in a church, coach kids' teams, or referee basketball. There are two things that eat people alive in these organizations, envy and excuses. Unfortunately, I see it way too much, and it is sad.
Envy is insidious. Think of the happiest person you know--they are never envious of anyone else, and those happy people are almost always very successful. People get jealous about job titles, salaries, and what games people get. They envy the people above them in an organization, and then envy their peers when they rise. Finally, the get paranoid when they reach the upper tier, because they know the thoughts and potential actions of those who envy them. That does no good for anyone--especially you. Forget about what games someone else has, who is rated where. Sometimes life is not fair, and we all know that. Instead of being envious, figure out a way to channel that energy into getting what you want.
Envy is epitomized by the union mentality of a lot of officials. They believe that if they have been officiating longer, they have more experience, and are better than younger officials. They will isolate one call from a game and draw a conclusion that the official is poor, and never look at a body of work over time to admit improvement in others. They don't recognize others who attend camps in the summer, work as many summer league/rec league/AAU games to improve, work games for more than the paycheck, and do something with the feedback they receive. As a result, they get seduced by people who tell them what they want to hear, validate their excuses that life is not fair and they're getting screwed, and keep them down. We all need to avoid that like the plague.
Excuses are a by-product of envy. We can rationalize that if life was completely fair, everything would be great. Gee, if that guy wasn't an ass kisser, he wouldn't have that senior management job. If that guy wasn't buddies with those coaches, they'd never get those games. While those thoughts that come from envy may have merit, it does you no good. There are no excuses in life. Mother Nature and Darwinism are cruel. No matter what happens to each of us, the sun comes up the next day and life goes on with or without us. You don't like an outcome? Do something about it. Don't have any excuses. It's better to be honest and say that you want something to get better than to wallow in self-pity and say you got screwed for some unfair reason. It's OK if you have failed. Admitting failure is how you figure out a way to reverse your failure. Excuses feed continued failure. Think about it.
Keep these thoughts in mind with respect to your officiating career:
1. Getting a mentor who is committed to making you better, and will never be envious of you is paramount to your development. Getting a mentor who is envious of very little in life is a gift. Work to find as many as you can. They are out there, trust me. Sometimes you'll find them from outside the small circle of your association, too. Think hard about that.
2. You have to listen to and understand brutally honest feedback. That's the only way you can understand what people perceive as your weaknesses as an official. "Yes" people don't help you.
3. Lots of people have the excuse that they don't get good feedback from veteran officials. That means one of two things. Either you act dismissively and make excuses when you get critical feedback, or the veteran is worried that you will be taking his games soon. The first one is your problem, the second one is an excuse that being relentless can overcome. Get after it.
4. Envy makes people do and say stupid things. Pity them, because they marginalize themselves in the end. The excuses cloud their judgment. Take the high road.
5. Envy makes everyone act in their self-interest. Assume everyone does this, until they prove otherwise over time. All relationships take time, energy, and trust to build, and like anything else, they ebb and flow. It takes a lot of mental energy to avoid envy and excuses over an extended period of time, but it is well worth it. Keep yourself surrounded by these kinds of people.
Now get after it and make it happen for yourself. Someone else out there already is.
Envy is insidious. Think of the happiest person you know--they are never envious of anyone else, and those happy people are almost always very successful. People get jealous about job titles, salaries, and what games people get. They envy the people above them in an organization, and then envy their peers when they rise. Finally, the get paranoid when they reach the upper tier, because they know the thoughts and potential actions of those who envy them. That does no good for anyone--especially you. Forget about what games someone else has, who is rated where. Sometimes life is not fair, and we all know that. Instead of being envious, figure out a way to channel that energy into getting what you want.
Envy is epitomized by the union mentality of a lot of officials. They believe that if they have been officiating longer, they have more experience, and are better than younger officials. They will isolate one call from a game and draw a conclusion that the official is poor, and never look at a body of work over time to admit improvement in others. They don't recognize others who attend camps in the summer, work as many summer league/rec league/AAU games to improve, work games for more than the paycheck, and do something with the feedback they receive. As a result, they get seduced by people who tell them what they want to hear, validate their excuses that life is not fair and they're getting screwed, and keep them down. We all need to avoid that like the plague.
Excuses are a by-product of envy. We can rationalize that if life was completely fair, everything would be great. Gee, if that guy wasn't an ass kisser, he wouldn't have that senior management job. If that guy wasn't buddies with those coaches, they'd never get those games. While those thoughts that come from envy may have merit, it does you no good. There are no excuses in life. Mother Nature and Darwinism are cruel. No matter what happens to each of us, the sun comes up the next day and life goes on with or without us. You don't like an outcome? Do something about it. Don't have any excuses. It's better to be honest and say that you want something to get better than to wallow in self-pity and say you got screwed for some unfair reason. It's OK if you have failed. Admitting failure is how you figure out a way to reverse your failure. Excuses feed continued failure. Think about it.
Keep these thoughts in mind with respect to your officiating career:
1. Getting a mentor who is committed to making you better, and will never be envious of you is paramount to your development. Getting a mentor who is envious of very little in life is a gift. Work to find as many as you can. They are out there, trust me. Sometimes you'll find them from outside the small circle of your association, too. Think hard about that.
2. You have to listen to and understand brutally honest feedback. That's the only way you can understand what people perceive as your weaknesses as an official. "Yes" people don't help you.
3. Lots of people have the excuse that they don't get good feedback from veteran officials. That means one of two things. Either you act dismissively and make excuses when you get critical feedback, or the veteran is worried that you will be taking his games soon. The first one is your problem, the second one is an excuse that being relentless can overcome. Get after it.
4. Envy makes people do and say stupid things. Pity them, because they marginalize themselves in the end. The excuses cloud their judgment. Take the high road.
5. Envy makes everyone act in their self-interest. Assume everyone does this, until they prove otherwise over time. All relationships take time, energy, and trust to build, and like anything else, they ebb and flow. It takes a lot of mental energy to avoid envy and excuses over an extended period of time, but it is well worth it. Keep yourself surrounded by these kinds of people.
Now get after it and make it happen for yourself. Someone else out there already is.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Fight In Scrimmage
Saw a very ugly thing in the first scrimmage of the year this past weekend. One team was driving to the basket at will and getting a lot of easy layups on simple drives to the hole. Big surprise, the coach was bent with his team defense and eventually the kids got frustrated, too. Soon enough, big guy rotates over to throw a body block on someone going for a layin, adhering to the old adage "Don't let anyone have come down the lane and get to the hole uncontested."
Result was a broken nose, several stitches, and...a personal foul. Post-bomb scene was interesting. Victim on the floor on his back holding his bloody face. Tough guy maintaining he did nothing wrong, he just fouled him. Tough guy's coach defending his player and accusing the crew of letting a football game be played which led to the play (which was a normal foul). Victim's coach did not really see what happened, but reacted pretty aggressively when he saw the bloody player and the lack of remorse from his opponents. Bad deal all the way around.
Could it have been prevented? I'm not sure. Fouls were being called. None of the crew really got a good look at he play, and by calling a normal foul when you have a decked and bloody player on the ground, it did not help matters. Within the context, we should have been aware that the one team was dominating, and been expecting someone to get decked going for another wide open layin. And expecting it, we should have been more than ready to aggressive and forcefully deal with it--intentional or flagrant foul.
Great lesson! It takes one play for non-basketball stuff to ruin a game. In this case, it kind of ruined the scrimmage. Bad blood remained throughout, although no further non-basketball plays occurred. You always need to be vigilant of the context of the game. Prideful players don;t like getting their asses beat and embarrassed. When that happens, you really need to focus and make sure that non-basketball plays get addressed swiftly and authoritatively. That protects the integrity of the game, and your crew.
Be ready from the opening tip of your first scrimmage this year...
Result was a broken nose, several stitches, and...a personal foul. Post-bomb scene was interesting. Victim on the floor on his back holding his bloody face. Tough guy maintaining he did nothing wrong, he just fouled him. Tough guy's coach defending his player and accusing the crew of letting a football game be played which led to the play (which was a normal foul). Victim's coach did not really see what happened, but reacted pretty aggressively when he saw the bloody player and the lack of remorse from his opponents. Bad deal all the way around.
Could it have been prevented? I'm not sure. Fouls were being called. None of the crew really got a good look at he play, and by calling a normal foul when you have a decked and bloody player on the ground, it did not help matters. Within the context, we should have been aware that the one team was dominating, and been expecting someone to get decked going for another wide open layin. And expecting it, we should have been more than ready to aggressive and forcefully deal with it--intentional or flagrant foul.
Great lesson! It takes one play for non-basketball stuff to ruin a game. In this case, it kind of ruined the scrimmage. Bad blood remained throughout, although no further non-basketball plays occurred. You always need to be vigilant of the context of the game. Prideful players don;t like getting their asses beat and embarrassed. When that happens, you really need to focus and make sure that non-basketball plays get addressed swiftly and authoritatively. That protects the integrity of the game, and your crew.
Be ready from the opening tip of your first scrimmage this year...
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