Behind the whistle: The pressure and preparation of high school officials

Steve Schwartz used to lie awake after basketball games as he replayed the calls he wished he could make again.

“When I was a young official, I would come home and I would obsess over calls that I missed,” he said. “I wouldn’t sleep over it.”

The fans had gone home. The score was final. But for the official who knew he had made a mistake, the game wasn’t over.

“Perfection is not possible, but excellence is,” Schwartz said.

In 37 years officiating high school basketball in North Carolina, Schwartz learned that seeking excellence meant knowing the rules inside and out, preparing for games, and being honest when he got something wrong. He also learned how much of that work the people in the stands never see.

“The most important thing I would want spectators to know about us is we’re human beings,” he said. “You wouldn’t want anyone screaming at you where you work.”

Fans have an emotional connection to a team or child. Schwartz said his responsibility is to apply the rules fairly, no matter who it benefits.

“I don’t have it out for your team. I don’t have it out for a player. I don’t have it out for a coach,” he said. “I’m just trying to manage them through the game and get home without my phone ringing or being on the Internet.”

That work begins before the game. Schwartz says he researches teams, learns about their players, and discusses potential situations with his crew. He compares the preparation to pilots developing their flight plan before takeoff.

“Every team has a different personality. Every fan base has a different personality. Every coach has a different personality,” Schwartz said.

The crew talks through how it will communicate and handle situations that might develop. Afterward, officials revisit plays they questioned and discuss what they saw. Feedback from a regional supervisor can become part of that review.

“We are coached and graded too … Understand that we are held to account for the job that we do,” he said.

During the game, the concentration can be draining. Schwartz said experience taught him to hear the crowd without allowing it to distract him from the action on the court, but younger officials may not have that ability.

“You could have a great game up until the 30-second mark … and if you screw up in the last 30 seconds of the game, that’s all anyone will ever remember,” said Schwartz.

Every official has missed calls, but learning how to respond to those mistakes is part of becoming a better official, he said.

He describes standing beside a coach during a free throw and quietly acknowledging that he had missed an offensive foul.

“Almost every coach that I know, if you do that, your credibility goes up with them because you’re not defending the indefensible,” he said. “You’re just being honest with them.”

The same thing can happen with players.

“Everyone appreciates that kind of communication,” he said.

Understanding an official’s perspective doesn't mean fans have to stop caring about the outcome of the game. It does require recognizing boundaries. Schwartz identified profanity, racist remarks, and personal attacks as behavior that crosses the line.

The adults in the stands also influence the students competing on the court.

Schwartz recalled one game in which a man repeatedly stood behind a female official on his crew and screamed at her. He asked school administrators to have the spectator removed.

After the game, the school’s athletic director asked Schwartz what happened. The person he had removed was the president of the school’s booster club.

Schwartz recalled the athletic director’s response after hearing the explanation: “And if he did it, he deserved it.”

“We love schools that back us,” Schwartz said. “We love schools that will be supportive of us and not argue with us over it.”

That support should be organized before the game begins. Officials need to know who is responsible for game management and whom to contact when a problem develops.

“We need to know who that is before the game starts,” Schwartz said. “Who’s your game administrator tonight?”

Officials understand that athletic directors are juggling responsibilities throughout a game. Having school staff available to monitor spectators and intervene early helps the crew concentrate on the contest.

“Our knowing that you are there to help us so that we can communicate … is immensely valuable to setting the tone for the contest,” he said.

How officials are treated affects whether they return. Schwartz helped lead the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s 2022 officiating study, which examined recruitment and retention, and it highlighted poor sportsmanship as the top concern among officials — even ahead of pay.

Now retired from regular assignments but still involved in leadership and available for emergencies, Schwartz wants to improve conditions for those who follow him.

“For me, the legacy is making it better so that we don’t have (official) recruitment issues,” he said. “There needs to be a strategy to fix it. There needs to be accountability.”

Schwartz worries experienced officials will decide the demands are no longer worth it. That leads to concerns about what a shrinking pool of officials means for students’ opportunities to participate.

But despite the frustrations that come with officiating, Schwartz says his connection to it remains deeply personal.

“It’s very fulfilling,” he said. “It’s a quirky way to participate in the sport, maybe make a little money, maybe stay in shape.”

The relationships have mattered most to him though. Officiating introduced him to people from different professions and backgrounds who became close friends.

“We all take the same language. We all laugh at the same jokes,” Schwartz said. “We all have these very common experiences that have bound us for life.”

The National Federation of State High School Associations is actively recruiting officials for all sports across the country. If you’re interested in becoming an official, visit HighSchoolOfficials.com.