EDITORIAL: Here's why you shouldn't be rough on the ref

Oct. 31—What do a small-town mayor and a high school sports referee have in common? A lot, actually, but we'll start with these facts: They can't make everyone happy, they get noticed only when they screw up, and the headaches far outweigh the pay. In other words, both are thankless jobs — and both are absolutely vital. Given that Tuesday is Election Day, we'll first point readers to an Oct. 27 news article by Post Bulletin reporter Taylor Nunley, who analyzed "empty" mayoral ballots in four southeastern Minnesota communities. Voters in Grand Meadow, Altura, Hammond and Dexter will find no mayoral candidates on their ballots. In Grand Meadow, the current mayor made a filing error and hopes to retain the office through write-in ballots — and he probably will, given that no one else filed for the job. In the other three communities, no one has thrown a hat into the ring. We get it. Being mayor of a small town has few perks and plenty of headaches. You get little credit when things run smoothly, and you get blamed for problems that often are entirely beyond your control. You find yourself caught in the middle of disputes between neighbors — and some of those neighbors might be your former high school classmates or perhaps even your relatives. And with today's social media, someone's personal grudge against you can become a viral video in a matter of minutes. Of course, a lot of elected positions come with plenty of responsibility but very little acclaim. So, as you vote on Tuesday, be grateful for the candidates for school board, soil and water districts and other "down ballot" jobs — and remember that it's not against the rules to send an occasional thank-you note to people who sign up for thankless jobs. Which brings us to referees. The fall high school sports season is about to wrap up, which means that very soon, fans will be packing gymnasiums and rinks to watch basketball, hockey, wrestling and other athletic events. These events can't happen without officials, and at these indoor events, fans can be mere feet away from the action — and from the referees. That proximity can be problematic. It's relatively easy for a football referee to ignore a screaming spectator who is 50 yards away. Basketball and hockey officials don't have that buffer. Fortunately, most fans understand that this is high school sports, and that the people blowing the whistles aren't professional referees. They've had training and gone through a certification process, but officiating is a part-time gig, and a relatively low-paying one at that. Most of the time they do a great job, and the occasional missed call is just part of the game. But some fans can't accept that. We know from personal experience and observation that today's high school sports officials endure more verbal abuse from fans than they did 15 or 20 years ago. People's passions seem to run hotter today, or perhaps their internal "filters" aren't as robust as they once were. Regardless, it's become far too common for one or two angry spectators to loudly berate officials — and to make everyone else in the gym or rink very uncomfortable in the process. Unruly fans are one likely cause for an impending shortage of sports officials and referees. In an Oct. 17 news article, Post Bulletin reporter Madeline Warren noted that the Minnesota State High School League had 8,242 registered officials 10 years ago. Right now, that figure stands at 7,983. That's not a huge decline, but when you factor in that the average age of a MSHSL official is 56, the handwriting is on the wall. In the not-so-distant future, the biggest challenge for a high school athletic director might be finding enough officials for a busy Tuesday night during basketball season. To keep that from happening, groups like the Rochester Area Officials Association work constantly to recruit and train new, younger officials. The training/certification process is rigorous and requires a serious time commitment, and it could take a year or two before aspiring officials will blow whistles during varsity competitions. And when they finally hit the "big time," they will make mistakes. It's inevitable. So cut them some slack. Don't be the fan who makes these officials wonder, "Is it really worth it?" Don't be the fan a referee thinks about as he/she drives home on a cold January night. Don't be the fan whom referees look for during warm-ups and pray you're not there. The game is about the players, not you. No one in the crowd wants to hear you rant. Nor do the athletes on the court, rink or mat. Remember that without officials, it's just recess — and nobody wants to watch recess.