A kinder, gentler season

W
ith the fall sports’ seasons in the books, and as we look toward the winter season, I can’t help but get that tingle of excitement knowing basketball is just about to get underway. 
It’s no secret that I love hoops. However, I got to thinking this weekend about an aspect of the sport that doesn’t get a great deal of attention, unless that attention is negative – the people behind the scenes that make it possible for all of us to enjoy the best sport ever.
It was actually the end of football season when controversy arose over the end of the 3A semifinal game between Torrington and Jackson that got me pondering the role these people play. 
Usually, one doesn’t hear a lot of backlash from football fans toward officials or other folks who work the sidelines or the table. That kind of behavior is normally reserved for basketball, where fans and officials are in close quarters.
Distance between the two couldn’t shield officials in this case, however.
The contest between the Blazers and the Broncs took place in Torrington, and from all reports it was a tight, highly contested one between two teams determined to make the championship game. 
The Broncs held the lead late in the game, but the Blazers put together a flurry of plays in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter which resulted in a last-second touchdown, giving them the slimmest 22-21 margin of victory against Jackson.
As one might imagine, emotions were running high in the stands for fans on both sides, and unfortunately things got ugly in the aftermath. 
According to an opinion article written by Rick Roddam of Y95 Country, “one Jackson parent had to be restrained from physically attacking an official…while another challenged an official to fight in the parking lot.” Later in the week, an adult from Jackson threatened on social media to drive to Laramie to heckle the Torrington players as they played in the championship contest. 
Accusations were flying from Teton County throughout the next week, including a claim that the officials and the clock person had conspired to cheat, thereby ensuring a Blazer win. In Cheyenne, a sports talk show referred to the situation as “the Torrington Screwjob”. 
I get that this was a
high-stakes game, and that losing like that at the last second is tough to take, but I so wish the adults in the situation had handled their reaction differently.
We need to keep in mind that those who volunteer to take on the responsibility of running the clock, keeping the official book and officiating high school contests are giving of their time to perform the duties necessary for the game to happen. Granted they are each making some money, but I guarantee it’s not a lot and certainly not enough to make up for taking that kind of abuse.
Wyoming is facing a shortage of officials in
every sport, and it’s only going to get worse if high school sports fans can’t get some perspective.  
I freely admit that I have been guilty of voicing my opinion of how the people in stripes are officiating much too loudly and forcefully over the years.
I must say, those are not among my finest moments.
As we head into the 2018-2019 winter season, I’m going to try my best to remember that these are people just like me — who have stepped up to help kids be able to play the game they love — and they are doing their best out on that court or behind that table.
Let’s all endeavor to be kinder and gentler this season and let the coaches coach, let the players play, let the officials officiate, and let the fans cheer on the Dogies.