All this goes to the integrity of the game. Not just at the professional levels either. The game itself.
You need referees and umpires in sports. All the way down to the youth leagues. The policies the pros and colleges have regards to officiating are the basis of policies throughout the sport.
How you regard the officials is one of these issues I've seen come down to the youth leagues and into sports in general.
The official's calls, and no calls, must be respected. Replays must be limited to technical issues. (Did the ball cross the goal line? kind of rule questions)
To demand that players, teams, coaches, at the pro level respect the official's calls as a matter of policy is critical to very integrity of the sport.
Even if they are wrong.
If the result of a poor official, process the official out of the sport, away from the field and cameras.
I've umpired and officiated ball games. I've seen the attitudes from young players as well as parents turn the sport into chaos.
I understand that missed calls and bad calls bite. But they don't undermine the integrity of the sport.
The attitudes toward officials now days does.
I applaud you for umping ball games. It is a tough job at certain times for sure. When going to college age 19 or so, I filled in for the 'official' umpire due to being HOT out him needing a break. He asked me to do the bases of a semi-final softball game underhand fastpitch with 2 bruiser big boy teams fighting it out to go the championship final game. I was out of position for about 5-6 close call plays on the bases but knew I was right on every call. I got HEAT from both teams on some of those calls them clearing the benches getting in my face yelling at me. I did not say much being age 19 vs. them in their 30s and much bigger than me. The experienced ump behind the plate took charge told them both to get back in the dugout and NOT one more word or thrown out of the game. After the game, both teams (several of them) came up to me and apologized to me telling me all were close calls and most said I made the right calls even if out of position. It was a very tough and hard earned 10 bucks doing that game for sure.
Then again, age 17 a senior in high school, I got kicked out of my final baseball game of the year, me being a catcher, for telling the ump behind home plate he was blind as a bat making a horrible call that got the people in the stands also yelling at him. I tried appealing the missed tag I made, being very obvious I tagged him out with ball in glove, to the base ump, but did not get overturned.
I see nowadays at say basketball games in high school parents literally YELLING at the refs to the point is not once or twice, but dozens of times in a game going way, way too far. If I was a kid playing and heard my parents yelling at the umps like that over and over again, I would be very embarrassed to call them my parents.
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