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6. I umped t-ball when I was 13-14. There was a play at second that was incredibly close and even with running out to get a good view it was basically a coin flip. I called it as fairly as I could though, considering.
Cue what led to a "bench clearing" argument between parents from both sides. And I was a small kid even for 13-14. All these adults yelling at me and each other over a fucking t-ball game. I remain composed, explaining the rule, but can't get them all to settle down.
Then out of the blue from behind the backdrop comes a man. Turns out he's the head of the league. He basically shames the lot of them, then commends me for keeping my cool and doing my job (a mere $10/game, it was early 90s).
No one hassled me after that.
96stars
7. I was reffing a 10 and under soccer game, again 10 years old or younger. There was this one larger kid who was being physically aggressive and knocking other kids down to get the ball. I gave a free kick to the other team after this happened , and took a knee to explain to the kid that you cannot use your hands to fight for the ball. Well this kids dad just loses it, shouting out that I'm a wuss, his kid is doing nothing wrong, open my eyes, bla bla bla. Well it came to a point where I told the parent that if he did not stop, I would ask him to leave; and if he did not leave the game was over and everyone goes home. Thankfully he shut up, but I will never forget how insane some parents get over their kids games.
juiceboxheero
8. I feel you mate. I reffed u13s when I was 16. One kid kept trying to take a throw in when it wasn't his,and her knew it. Took me three blasts of the whistle to get him to pay attention.
Finally turns to me, I indicate that it's the other team's throw in, he flips the bird at me. Right there on the side line in front of the crowd. I've got no choice but to send him off at this point.
His mother goes totally apeshit. Completely off the rails. Insults me, my family line, threatens everyone. Just lost it.
Had to go to his team's coach and tell him that if he doesn't get her out of there I'd be calling the game off. Fortunately he agreed with me, but fuck me that was intense.
Mahhrat
9. You can't hit a 14 year old girl.
I was a soccer referee as well, but mostly for U15 Gold (the top tier for 14 year-old or younger girls in my city). I was always amazed at the cultural difference between the boys' and girls' parents. Over the years, I gave numerous red cards to the boys, but their parents took it in stride except when it was a marginal call (I admit to making the odd mistake) and even then it was always contained to a single angry outburst or two. Although the girls earned their fair share of yellow cards, I never had to give any of them a straight red, but I had to eject their parents alarmingly frequently (almost once a month, on average).
The craziest one was when I was working a city championship quarterfinal in my first year as a ref. One girl on the team that eventually won the game had an unbelievable knack for tackling opposing players. She would often make contact with the other player, but she would always get the ball first. Frustrating, if you're on the opposing team, but well within the laws of the game. With about 10 minutes remaining in the second half, and the game out of reach (4-0, IIRC) this girl runs right though the other team's captain, actually committing a foul for the first time in the game. As I was blowing my whistle to make the call, the other girl's dad (who was also the coach) came sprinting onto the field, ran right past his daughter and just punched her in the chest. What ensued was basically a brawl, with parents from both teams getting into fist fights. I called the game right there. Police had to intervene.
stephanbecker
10.That sounds like a 7-8 year-old baseball game I was at this summer.
The league rules are only 4 coaches can be in the dugouts, most of the teams have more than 4 coaches (dads helping out etc), so they just sit nearby like any other parent and don't wear their coach shirt. This one off-duty coach was giving it to the 2nd base ump pretty good and the ump calls out "You need to stop that right now". The coach says "Haa! I can say what I want, I'M A SPECTATOR!" The ump whips around and says "NOT ANY MORE!" and ran him haha.
This coach was swearing up and down about how this can't happen and blah blah. The on-duty coach was trying to walk him off the field "you gotta get at least across the street" and the madman goes "Oh yeah!? OR WHAT! OR WHAT! What are you gonna do!" and the head coach goes "Or this game's over and we're out of the playoffs." Which deflated the mad man down like instantly.
But still he went across the street and continued to tell anyone who would come near what fucking bullshit this fucking league is for at least 45 minutes.
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