Often in sports, the referee is considered the main enemy, both in the eyes of athletes and in the eyes of coaches, fans, and the rest of the sports team.
The Referee’s Difficult Job
Take a perspective away from the broadcast of your favorite club’s match for a moment and admit that a referee’s job is often very difficult.
It is impossible to make every decision suit everyone and, on top of that, to seem equally fair. However, there are ways to reduce the unfavorable influence of a referee and try to draw them as much as possible to your side.
Remember your reaction the last time a referee called something that did not go in your favor. It very likely led you to frustration and a possible negative reaction toward the referee. However, as incredible as it may sound, referees are human beings just like the rest of us mortals. Therefore, even referees react better to compliments than to criticism.
Nobody likes constantly hearing criticism about their work, especially if that criticism “doesn’t hold water.” Also, in most cases, when a referee makes a mistake, they are aware of it themselves and do not need additional pressure from the outside, because even for them, that leads to a loss of focus and even more wrong decisions that nobody wants. On the contrary, with your every positive reaction, you make the referee’s job easier and score points in your favor.
What you can do before a game, match, or competition is get to know your referee. The more information you gather, the better you will know how to behave toward them.
Types of Referees
In most sports, there are several types of referees:
1. those who want to please everyone, then
2. strict and firm referees,
3. young referees without experience,
4. those who do not know, and unfortunately also those
5. who unfairly lean toward the opponent.
Each of these types of referees requires a different approach. A common mistake for each of the mentioned types is entering into unnecessary arguments and thereby undermining the referee’s authority. Be honest with yourself, sometimes you do it too, don’t you?
How to Behave Toward Different Types of Referees?
If you are being refereed by a referee who wants to please everyone and make friends with everyone, be positive toward them and talk to them as much as possible.
Praise their every good decision with at least some gesture, such as a thumbs up or offering a hand. If you notice that they are giving in too much, remind them of their responsibilities to begin with. Show them that you are their friend, but up to a certain limit that you consider professional.
These tips can also be applied to young and inexperienced referees. They seek constant approval and confirmation that what they are doing, they are doing well, even if it is not every time in your favor. It costs you nothing to congratulate the referee sometime on a correctly called decision against your team; it can pay off later when a situation is questionable. This type of referee needs to be warned about some mistakes a bit more, but through conversation and friendly advice.
We come to the referees who have “missed their calling,” but clearly there is something in that sport that keeps them there. Perhaps they were once excellent athletes, so they think they will be good referees with that same kind of ease. Even referees themselves are sometimes unaware that simply playing a specific sport does not mean they will automatically be good at making decisions on the field. Just like in any other profession, it is necessary to constantly learn and work on oneself. It is best to ignore them because in the end, they will likely make the same number of mistakes for both the opponent and you. By constantly protesting, you can only cause the referee to become spiteful, so in addition to those unintentional mistakes against you, they now make intentional ones as well. Concentrate on your game, not on their mistakes!
Referees who are strict and firm are perhaps the best type of referees because they are confident in their decisions and know what they are doing. Mostly, these are referees who have been in the profession for many years and have a great deal of experience. Such referees do not allow themselves to be argued with, and it is difficult to fluster them. With them, one should respect the authority they impose from the beginning and accept their decisions even when you might disagree with them. Show respect and you will get respect; apologize after a foul and agree with the referee’s decision – by doing this, you build up credit for future situations.
Now we come to referees who obviously, and perhaps deliberately, “lean” toward the opponent. There can be many reasons for something like this, but they are none of your concern. Such referees will use every opportunity to call something against you; every decision that is not completely “clear-cut” will go to the opponent’s side, and your every complaint will be a perfect opportunity for a warning or a card. Therefore, in such cases, calm your emotions and direct your focus entirely toward the game.
We believe there are a few other types of referees, perhaps even specific to certain sports, but we have highlighted the ones we believe you encounter most frequently. Remember that praise opens many more doors than criticism. Apply some of these tips on the field, adapt to the referee, and hope that none of them have read this article. 🙂
