Posted: December 13, 2024, 08:34.
Last updated: 13 December 2024 09:13h.
NBA players and coaches aren’t the only ones who are regularly threatened and harassed by angry sports bettors and fans. The players, who wear black and white stripes, say they have also faced numerous threats on and off the court.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr reacts to what he thought was a bad call during his team’s game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Houston. The NBA Referees Association says complaints from coaches and players are leading to an increase in abuse of referees. (Image: Getty)
The National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA) represents professional basketball officials in the NBA, WNBA, and G League. Labor unions fight for fair contracts through collective bargaining among their members.
As legal sports betting continues to expand across the country, Missouri last month became the 39th state to authorize sports betting. The NBRA has reported an increase in cases of abuse by officials and referees.
On Thursday, NBRA shared an example on its X account. Perhaps a disgruntled bettor or fan, furious after seeing his team lose, wrote a letter to the wife of an NBA official. In a direct message, a man named Robert Regan threatened:
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Refs are not immune
Responsible gaming advocate, sports league commissioner and NCAA president Charlie Baker says state legislatures, gaming regulators, sportsbooks and the gaming industry must do more to limit online abuse by angry bettors. He emphasized that there is. However, the focus is primarily on players and coaches, who necessarily have more ability to influence the outcome of the match.
Baker called on lawmakers and regulators to ban player props and odds based solely on a single player’s performance. The NCAA chief said such bets are “one of the areas that I’m most concerned about” when it comes to sports betting.
NBA referees say they, too, have endured numerous “vile messages” and have issued public service announcements in hopes of countering them.
No one needs to read messages like this. But families of NBA referees have been exposed to hateful and vile messages like this too often. This behavior is unacceptable and we refuse to allow direct message anonymity to protect those responsible,” the NBRA wrote.
“Threats of violence against referees and their families are unacceptable,” the statement continued. “While there has been an alarming rise in aggression and hostility towards referees, both on the court and on social media, we must emphasize one simple truth: referees and their families are humans too. is.”
Do coaches and players also have some responsibility?
The NBRA’s statement comes after Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was ejected from refereeing after the team’s one-point loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
I was angry. “I’ve never seen a loose ball foul in a jump ball situation 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line,” Kerr complained. “I’ve never seen that in the NBA. It’s unconscionable.”
The NBRA said this rhetoric from coaches and players only encourages abuse of referees. The NBA’s Last Two Minutes report confirmed that the foul on Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga was indeed correct.
“While we recognize that players and coaches in our league also endure this level of hate online, we want to remind these groups of the power and strength of their words when speaking publicly. , urges us to be aware of our behavior on the court. Public statements that go beyond constructive criticism and outright aggression in court are personally threatening and harmful to us and our families. NBRA’s statement concluded.
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