Sportsmanship . . . sometimes it seems like a relic of the past.

A google search will quickly turn up endless examples of bad sportsmanship.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. I was inspired by watching the Summer Olympics. The respect and admiration the athletes had for each other was incredible. That set a tremendous example for young athletes.

Of course you want to teach your team the fundamentals of the game. But ultimately, building their character is even more important than building their skills.

So, how can you do that?

Try this one habit and see the positive impact it has on your team (and you)!

Why Officials Are an Endangered Species and How You Can Help"

In the last few years, there have been a number of stories about the referee shortage. In Ohio, games have been canceled for lack of officials.

There are a couple of reasons cited for this issue. One is money. But even more than money, potential refs don’t want to deal with the abuse they take from parents, coaches, and players.

Yes, it’s a problem if games are being canceled because there aren’t enough refs. Maybe paying them more would help. But the root of the problem is the way refs are being treated.

You can go to almost any game and see someone yelling at the officials. The behavior of many parents is objectionable. As coaches, we should address this with the parents of our players. It should be made clear that officials should be treated with respect.

But, before you address that with your players, make sure you aren’t living in a glass house. Are you treating the officials with respect?

If your players see their parents and coaches yelling at officials, why would you expect them to do any different? You are the example. If you yell at refs, they will too.

So start by being the example you want your players to follow. Then, go one step further.

Building Respect from the Ground Up: Start with the Officials

After every game, have your players go and thank the officials. In a high school game, this is usually hard to do. The officials run off the court as soon as the game ends.

Fortunately, youth games are different. Officials generally ref a handful of games in a row. They often sit down for a few minutes in between games.

Use this as an opportunity. As soon as your team finishes the postgame handshake, have them run over to the refs and thank them.

When I’ve seen teams do this, it has tremendous positive effects:

• The refs feel valued instead of targeted.

• Players learn to view refs as people. This leads to a higher level of respect and better behavior on the court.

• Coaches who do this treat the refs better.  If you’ve made showing gratitude to the refs a priority of your team, you are more likely to do the same. Thus, you will treat the refs better during the game.

  When you do that, two other amazing things happen. First, the parents of your players behave better. When they see your respectful attitude, they tend to fall in line.

  Second, you coach better! Why? Because you’re focused on your team, not the officials.

Are You Building Better People Or Just Better Players?

Coaching youth sports is a huge responsibility. But with that responsibility comes huge opportunities.

An opportunity to model and instill the type of behaviors we’d love to see from our kids as they grow up.

Start today by having your team thank the refs. Everyone involved will be better for it!

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First Dan Smith says: 5/6/2025 at 9:06:59 PM Great idea, refs are sometimes inadequate but we all can be at our jobs. Still nice to treat them like human beings. Like     login   register

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