Dave Aiello wrote:
>Dear Fellow Readers:
 
>We do not need any more 10, 11, and 12-year old children playing our sport
>that cannot control their temper when the game is not playing out as they had
>hoped.   We do not need any more 15, 16, and 17-year old children that shoot
>the puck at, or otherwise attack, game officials.  Yet, there is an obvious,
>long-term trend in place that few are willing to acknowledge.
>
>I wonder what your children think when they hear you yell from the stands
>about the terrible quality of the last call.  Or, do you not take them with
>you to games?  Or, are you complete gentlemen and ladies in the stands,
>saving your flames for your friends in the on-line community?
 
Judging from the behavior of a bunch of 10-year-old players I saw in a game
last week and a zillion other contests, I'd have to agree that the adults
are a bad influence and the children are certainly mimicking what they've
seen and heard. It remains the responsibility of the parents and coaches to
say and show this will not be tolerated. Good luck.
 
But how frequently do officials and coaches meet to discuss what's going
on? (I don't know. That's why I'm asking.) Are officials ranked? Do coaches
and referees critique the officials regularly and share their opinions? I
believe a lot of the fan hostility toward officials comes from the
perception that officials think they 1)can't be wrong 2)are in charge and
therefore they can do whatever they want and 3)are accountable to no one
but themselves. Of course not every official is like this. I wrote
"perception," remember? And I know that as an official you need to stick by
your calls. But when inconsistency by officials goes seemingly unchecked or
unacknowledged, you get 10-year-olds who think they can get in someone's
face. Because you have coaches and parents saying what a loser so-and-so-is
because of X calls. The perception is officials do what they damn well
please and protect the incompetent among them, which is why you get posts
saying "Joe Blow showed yet again that he hates the Univ. of Nowheresville
in last night's game." Which brings me to this lovely item:
 
>Finally, every game official deserves the courtesy of being referred to by
>his full name, or "Mr." and his last name.  If you, as a fan, cannot take the
>time to find out an official's first name and include it in your article, how
>can we be sure that you were paying close attention to the play you are
>questioning?
 
Give me a break. You want my respect? Call a good game. Be consistent. Show
that you take your job seriously. Don't tell me you *deserve* to be called
mister because you choose to wear a striped shirt in a game.
 
>Respectfully,
>
>Dave Aiello, RPI '89
 
Likewise,
Helga Dimitrov, BU '91