http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/08/what-people-dont-get-about-my-job-the-referee/243233/

What People Don’t Get About My Job: The Referee

By Derek Thompson

Aug 8 2011, 8:54 AM ET

“You can’t imagine that I don’t care who wins. But I really don’t.”

I could care less who wins this or any game. My kids always ask who my favorite team is – in all sorts of sports. They are continually flabbergasted when I tell them I don’t have one, ‘I just want to see a well-played game.’

That is the essence of my job – to protect something precious. The fair opportunity to compete for something very scarce. The win. It is my privilege to share the game with the best players there are.

I also want to make sure that it is a safe opportunity and do whatever I can to maintain the flow of the game – mostly by staying out of the way unless I have to intervene to protect fairness and safety. I do all this while hustling to maintain my position, staying calm in a hurricane of emotion, watching a dizzying assortment of interactions and comparing them to the spirit and letter of a rule book that may not be all that consistent or clear at times.

So when you tell me that I’ve made three calls against your team and none against the other team, you need to know some things:

1. I probably don’t even know because I don’t keep track
2. Fair doesn’t mean everyone gets the same number of penalties or fouls called against them
3. Your team needs to make some adjustments

I know you want me to care like you care about your team winning. That’s why there are referees – you can’t be trusted to know what is fair. That is why you can’t imagine that I don’t care who wins. But I really don’t.

If you try to make your struggle my issue, your struggle will deepen and I won’t accept the burden. Play the game. I’ll do my level best to make sure it is fair and safe.

I have few questions concerning the interference while a player of a team A is pursuing the ball that has crossed the net plane to the opponent’s free zone totally or partly through the external space. In rules there is written that a player of a team B may not prevent this action. My question is, what it means exactly. Does it mean that Player B is not allowed to step in the way of Player A or does it mean that only if Player B is in the way of Player A, he must make way? Some specific examples:

A) Player A is in his free zone (e.g. he was chasing the ball before); Player B1 is pursuing the ball, which has passed outside the crossing space into Player A’s free zone. The ball is getting very close to Player A, but he does not intentionally prevent Player B1 from playing the ball. He stays on his spot and because of that Player B1 was not able to play the ball. Is it interference?

Was he obliged to make way for Player B1?

What is the call?

B) The same situation like A, but Player A actually touches the ball. What is the call?

C) The same situation like A, but the interfering person is not a player A but Coach A in his coaching zone or sitting on the bench. What is the call if the coach doesn’t make way for Player B1 or he touches the ball?

Is the coaching zone and the bench the part of free zone so Player B1 is allowed to play the ball in the coaching zone and bench zone of team A?

Answer: Good for you for seeing that contact. Extra credit for distinguishing the blocker’s contact with the setter’s after the hands after the setter has made the play (as opposed to contact before or during the set).

Rule 11.4.1 deems it a fault if, “A player touches the ball or an opponent in the opponent’s space before or during the opponent’s attack hit.”

In this instance, since you state the contact occurs “clearly after the setter has released the ball” there is no fault.

Team A #7 serves and loses the rally.  Team B serves and loses the rally.

Team A coach asks the scorekeeper “who is my next server?”  The scorekeeper responds “#7″.  With this incorrect information, Team A #7 serves.  Team B notices the error and brings it to the R1′s attention after the rally.  The scorekeeper admits “I gave the coach the wrong information”.

What is the correct outcome?

Answer: First let me say kudos to you!  This was great court awareness on your part.  You were absolutely correct in not allowing a substitute with a duplicate number to enter the match.  USAV 4.3.3 is very clear in stating that duplicate numbers are not allowed.

USAV 4.1.3 b does allow for a roster change at any time during a match to correct a uniform number.  The rule also states that when a uniform number is corrected (changed) that team will be charged with a “delay penalty”.   In region play, the player could change uniforms right there, and be allowed to substitute in during the next dead ball. At USAV national tournaments, where rosters are used, the coach would need to go to championship and make the roster change before the player would be allowed to play.

Team A made an overpass.  After the ball cleared the plane of the net, a player from Team B jumped and contacted the ball above the net and in close proximity to the net.  The contact was like an attack in that it was a full arm swing, not a two-handed “block”.  The ball bounced off the tape (no contact by Team A), and the same player from team B passed the ball.  The referee called a double contact.

Team B argued that the double contact should not have been called because it was a block followed by a legal touch, so we consulted the rule book.  The rule book states that a block is “the action of players close to the net to intercept the ball coming from the opponent by reaching higher than the top of the net, regardless of the height of the ball contact. …”.  Team B argued that the player attacking the overpass met those criteria, and that wasn’t really disputed.  However, the official said that there was a judgment call allowed by the referee, and if the referee thought that the player was attacking the ball, it would not count as a block.  However, the day official also said that judgment call was not covered anywhere in the rule book.

First, what was the correct call?  Second, if the judgment call was the correct decision, where do coaches/referees learn about that?

Example:  Player #1 in position 4 gets subbed out by player #6 (from the bench).  Then after a rally I put player#1 back in and player#6 comes back out.  After a rally can I then put player #6 (from the bench) back in for another player in a different position; say player #12 in position 2?

Answer: What you describe would not be allowed under USAV 15.6.

15.6.b  – A player in the starting line-up may leave the set and re-enter, but only in his/her previous position.

15.6.d  - Unlimited individual entries by a substitute within the team’s allowable 12 substitutions are  permitted. Each entry must be in the same position in the line-up

Is that the right call?  (Fans that witnessed it said there was no foot fault.)

Answer: According to the situation described, a replay was not the correct call. Per Rule 6.1.2., during a match, officials judge faults and determine the consequences based on the rules. In this case, if a line judge does not see the fault (or is not looking) it is up to the first referee to judge whether the foot fault occurred. The fact remains — the serve occurred.  The first referee must only rule on faults.  In this instance, the fault that WAS judged was the service ace.  The referee should have awarded a point to the serving team.

On any rally, there MIGHT have been any number of faults that occurred (ranging from foot fault to net, ball handling, center line, etc.). Referees are trained to whistle and signal the faults they DO judge, not the ones that MIGHT have occurred. A frequent example is a close line call. If the referees (with assistance from the LJs) rule the ball as out, they award a point accordingly. If the judgement is the ball was touched before going out of bounds, there is a different outcome.  Referees make decisions based on what they judge to have occurred.