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Loud Drumming Annoying?

#1
Zinjanthropos Offline
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c...-1.6415374

I for one don’t want a seat next to drum beaters or those who blow those vuvuzelas at soccer matches. Imagine paying big bucks to sit near that. But I guess banning such noise is an affront to someone’s cultural rights. 

I’m in my 4th decade as a basketball official and I can tell you there was once a rule banning certain man made noisemakers. Not sure if still on the books, we operate on different rule set in Canada. No real clear definition for what’s allowed in this country. I’ve never heard a drumbeat at a basketball game. Although this past weekend some parent of a 9 yr old thought it appropriate to blow an air horn whenever their kid’s opponents attempted a free throw. 

Normal crowd noise, cheering and encouragement, is no problem for me or any of my fellow referees. However we also have a choice as to whether we want to accept games. I think the real problem with the native tournament is probably finding enough qualified refs (for insurance purposes) to do the games. I would politely refuse to enter that environment, completely within my right to do so. I wouldn’t care if they thought I was racist or whatever, I’m merely protecting my ears, health and sanity.
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#2
C C Offline
When awkward seating availability applied, I hated getting stuck behind or near the band at school football games. Not just due to hearing, say, the same Led Zeppelin riff nauseatingly repeated close-up, but sometimes the nuisance of a flag-girl or boy waving around and obstructing the view at key moments.
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#3
Zinjanthropos Offline
(Apr 15, 2022 03:22 PM)C C Wrote: When awkward seating availability applied, I hated getting stuck behind or near the band at school football games. Not just due to hearing, say, the same Led Zeppelin riff nauseatingly repeated close-up, but sometimes the nuisance of a flag-girl or boy waving around and obstructing the view at key moments.

Just my opinion CC and while I know you’re of partial native descent, the whole story has that race baiting slant to it. One of our Caucasian refs last weekend was labelled a racist by an angry Afro-Canadian parent when things didn’t go her son’s team’s way. What she doesn’t know is this guy has been married to a woman of colour for 20+ years. 

In over 30 years of refereeing basketball I have had the race card played on me twice. Each time the accuser’s kid’s team lost, one even entered our dressing room to confront me. That person also made the gun shooting gesture with her hands towards me and my refereeing partner. This was witnessed by the league convenor who gave us an escort to our cars when time to leave. The threatening parent was heavily sanctioned by league and higher authorities.

And people wonder why it’s hard to find officials. Smile One has to be so careful these days not to say the wrong thing or even gesture incorrectly. I had an aboriginal kid in a game recently who was wearing what the rules label dangerous apparel, namely a band around her arm that someone’s fingers could slip under. Unless it’s a wristband/sweatband the rules say no. However the kid told me it was a Spirit Band and that she wasn’t allowed to remove it because it had to fall off naturally. Not sure of its purpose but I wasn’t going to deny any religious apparel, even if unsafe, for fear of retribution from a parent or an entire culture. Had another kid who said he had to wear his kirpan while playing. Totally against the rules for wearing sharp metal objects like jewellery, especially a knife in this case. I was able to convince a parent that the rules prevented such things and that it was dangerous to other participants. If I disallow religious garb or refuse to referee I’d be vilified. I could be found libel however, if someone was injured by my ignorance of the rule. I can’t win. Either way I get slammed. Not fun anymore… Big Grin
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#4
C C Offline
(Apr 15, 2022 04:36 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote:
(Apr 15, 2022 03:22 PM)C C Wrote: When awkward seating availability applied, I hated getting stuck behind or near the band at school football games. Not just due to hearing, say, the same Led Zeppelin riff nauseatingly repeated close-up, but sometimes the nuisance of a flag-girl or boy waving around and obstructing the view at key moments.

[...] And people wonder why it’s hard to find officials. Smile One has to be so careful these days not to say the wrong thing or even gesture incorrectly. I had an aboriginal kid in a game recently who was wearing what the rules label dangerous apparel, namely a band around her arm that someone’s fingers could slip under. Unless it’s a wristband/sweatband the rules say no. However the kid told me it was a Spirit Band and that she wasn’t allowed to remove it because it had to fall off naturally...


Worst irony is when the kids pick up pseudo-indigenous spiritual affairs that may have originally come from some New Age novel of the '80s written by a white author about a native culture.
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#5
Zinjanthropos Offline
(Apr 16, 2022 01:58 AM)C C Wrote: Worst irony is when the kids pick up pseudo-indigenous spiritual affairs that may have originally come from some New Age novel of the '80s written by a white author about a native culture.
Say it isn’t so….I believe you. Sad 

Future refs may require degrees in ethnicities, aboriginal studies, histories and cultures, theology, religions, laws, etc. Sports way down the list. News flash…we refs aren’t that smart. Although they must consider us doctors of medicine when it comes to concussions here in Canada. Every year we take a short online course in how to recognize and deal with potentially concussed players. Called Rowan’s Law in memory of an Ottawa HS rugby player who unfortunately didn’t get properly diagnosed and continued playing only to meet an unhappy ending.

You’ll like this one, years ago the US high school basketball rule book (was used in Ontario) contained a rule that forbid offensive body markings, long fingernails and spiked hair. Never saw it called although there were times when it could have been. I guess rulemakers figured someone could lose an eye if struck by hair. Seems trivial now Big Grin
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