Periodically articles written by one of the members of IAABO Board 134 will be posted at this location. They will relate to various aspects of officiating.

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T: The Official Attitude
By Carl A. Dudley
I.A.A.B.O. Board 134 member

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Out of all the games a person can choose to officiate, to choose the game of basketball says a lot about a person. For the most part, the game is fast paced, challenging and dynamic, completed with a tremendous amount of emotions and excitement from the players, coaches, and their fans.

To experience any form of success in officiating, the person has to be courageous and resilient in all of their thinking and behaving. On the floor, the official should recognize that it is their supreme function to keep the game running smoothly by interpreting and administering the rules of the national body (e.g. NFHS, NCAA) in a fair and just manner.

The responsibilities of the official are very different from the responsibilities of the players, coaches, managers, time keepers, fans, etc. The official must always be aware of and sensitive to the maintenance of proper relationships with all of these groups of persons involved with the game. A relationship which cultivates trust, confidence, and RESPECT is essential to successful game control.

As it has been said many times before, ATTITUDE is everything; it is a reflection of a person’s leadership. When the official is on court, as well as off court, the courageous and resilient leader will posses the right attitude. In many ways, attitude can be defined as a disposition; a state of mind or a manner in which a person behaves in nurturing a relationship. In any relationship, when there is one person that is mature and has a desire to carry out a positive attitude, the relationship(s) stands a very good chance of surviving and being healthy. Since the official is attempting to nurture healthy relationships while on and off the court, the official must possess and reflect an attitude that is based in RESPECT.

What an official accomplishes in a game depends upon the way he/she approaches their tasks. When the official accept tough jobs as a challenge to their ability and wade into them with courage, effort and respect, miracles can happen.

The word respect may have different interpretations to different people and the power is often underrated or underestimated. As Aretha Franklin described it in her hit song, “just a little bit [RESPECT]” carries a lot of weight in keeping any and all relationships healthy and successful.

The official, who personifies RESPECT (just a little bit) on and off the court, will definitely have the ability to foster healthy relationships with players, coaches, and fans, plus maintain control of the game. However, in order to personify RESPECT, the official has to understand what RESPECT really means and internalize the meaning and incorporate it within their actions. The word RESPECT has many dispositions and could possibly mean:

RESPECT (The Official Attitude)

RESPONSIBLE: The official who reflects the responsible attitude on and off the court is the officials who truly recognizes and understand the power of their position and decisions. Officiating the game is a package deal, with it comes responsibilities and consequences and the official who respects, accepts, and live up to the responsibilities on and off the court will not have any problems fostering healthy relationships and managing the game. In the end, the expectations of those groups of persons are for the official to act responsibly; not irresponsible, simply because of the impact the officials’ actions have on the game and the people involved.

EXCELLENCE: The official who strives for excellence versus perfection will have an easier job in executing their duties and contributing favorably to the game. Excellence directs the official to develop a sustained eagerness for continuous improvement and innovation that will propel the game into a long-term, upward spiral of accomplishment and performance. The excellence disposition allows room for a learning curve and is a solid foundation for improvement in performance. True excellence is embodied in the actions of the officials who respects the consequences of their judgments and make the most of this attitude in all situations.

SERVICE: The service-oriented official reflects this attitude when execution of their responsibilities takes precedence over personal desires. Officiating basketball is all about perceptions and angles, and when the official creates the perception that he/she is on the job and has the safety of the players’ needs, and the needs of the other customers (e.g. coaches, fans, administrators, etc.) in mind and visibly demonstrates through actions and decisions, then the official has properly reflected the service attitude.

PASSION: The passionate official has one of the most powerful engines of success. The official reflects the passionate attitude by executing their duties with all of their might; they have put their soul/personality into the “job” of being good stewards of others’ feelings and emotions that playing the game brings. The passionate official is active and energetic and has no problem achieving their overall objective of advancing the game by earning the respect and giving the respect the game deserves.

ENTHUSIASM: The nature of enthusiasm is a powerful force that evokes others into positive action. The official who reflects controlled enthusiasm in their actions has overcome 95% of the challenges the game brings in achievement and performance and maintaining a healthy relationship. “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your objective. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” (as stated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Philosopher/Poet). If the official wants enthusiasm from players, the official has to reflect it in their attitude (just a little bit).

CARING: The official who shows the caring attitude is the official who communicates respect to the fullest. It has been said in many ways, “do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.” The official who communicates to the other person that which he/she would expect back if positions were reversed (e.g. the official turns into a player or a fan), then the caring attitude (RESPECT) has been effectively established.

TEMPERED: The official who reflects the tempered attitude is the official who believes that patience is a virtue and practices it. In all relationships, there will always be conflict. The tempered attitude is beneficial for not only the official, but for the players, coachers, and fans. If the official violates the tempered attitude, then there is trouble because effective decisions can not be made when tempers are lost. Poise and patience are visible signs of maturity. When respect is combined with a tempered attitude, it goes a long way in building confidence and trust and maintaining control of the game.

At game time, the official takes over the game. The success of the game is in the attitudes and decisions of the official. With the right attitude, the game can flow smoothly and effortlessly, even under times of adversity and duress.

The task of the official (leader) is to get people from where they are to where they have not been and feel good about being there. The game is very powerful in that at any level of involvement a person has with the game, the attitude and decisions of the official has the power to influence emotions and evoke actions.

The successful official will find a balance between two conflicting activities: asserting authority and responding to others’ needs. The official who finds the balance with RESPECT in their attitude and behavior, on and off the court, is surely on their way of experiencing success in officiating the game and maintaining healthy relationships.