[ad_1]
GERMANTOWN, Wisconsin — A Germantown public address announcer told fans to “shut up” during last weekend’s high school basketball tournament.
It occurred when the PA announcer tried to slow down the escalating intensity of the crowd, who were clearly too excited and channeling their emotions at the referee.
It happened during the Warhawk Invitational tournament, which featured several youth basketball teams around Milwaukee.PA announcers spoke out in the final seconds of a game involving Brookfield Central and Cedarburg. A foul occurred shortly after the end of the game, drawing the reaction of the crowd.
A frustrated PA announcer said, “I just want to take this opportunity to tell all the fans, I should have done this sooner. Shut up! WIAA is always looking for officers, but they’re doing a great job from the stands.” So put on your striped shirt, get down to the floor and do it yourself.”
The announcer’s choice of words has drawn criticism from some, but many others have praised him for stepping up to diffuse the situation.
Barry Mano is president of the National Association of Sports Officials. The Racine-based organization, which also publishes Referee Magazine, said incidents of fans interfering with sports officials were a national problem.
“I haven’t spoken to the PA announcer. I don’t know the PA announcer personally, but he felt that boundaries were being broken in this moment and he needed to say something, so I hope he does.” Thank you so much for what you did,” said Mano.
Mano said mounting pressure from parents and fans unhappy with the calls made by officials is a big reason why many people leave the profession.
Joe Chapman, a former Marquette University basketball player, tweeted a clip of the PA announcer speaking. I was. That livestream has now been removed from his YouTube channel for the Germantown School District.
The tweet’s video currently has over 1.5 million views. Chapman said he was not surprised to get such a reaction.
“All kids are there to have fun, improve, cheer their teammates on, enjoy the game and not think about parental perceptions,” Chapman said. “It’s hard for high school coaches, youth coaches and referees.”
Spectrum News 1 contacted the Germantown School District to learn the identity of the PA announcer. District representatives said they would not release the names of district employees to the media for interviews.
[ad_2]
Source link
