Every referee faces some form of backchat nearly every match. Sometimes it's just a harmless comment or joke, sometimes it's a half-hearted challenge to a call, and occasionally it is a genuine rude or inflammatory remark. Whilst only the latter are potentially harmful, they all negatively impact a game in the long run. What we generally class as 'backchat' can come in many forms and from many places and people, which I will try and cover here. For referees: I will try and include guidance on how to deal with it, and cope with it. For everyone else: please try and understand why the rule restricting talking to referees is in place through this article.
Most of the time it is players who give the bulk of problems to referees. They have direct contact with them, many opportunities, and also care a lot more about individual calls than most others. However, it is a rule that only the designated speaking captain may speak to referees, and it is one that should be followed. Some head referees choose to start a match with a blanket warning to all players, that any backchat will be a cardable offense. This can be done either just before brooms up, or by passing on the message through captains at the captains' meeting. I do this occasionally, but generally speaking I rely on the respect I have from refereeing teams previously. Oh, and when people hear that I have given cards out for backchat it shuts them right up! It is very important that, as a head referee, you are supportive and believing of offenses towards the rest of your referee team too - this includes reminding them to call it as a delayed penalty if it happens. Remember, you are the authority figure in this setting, even if can be hard acting this way towards your peers.
Captains - or the designated speaking authority - may of course speak to referees on behalf of their team. This does not mean that they can be a dick. As a referee, you reserve a right to respect, and can exercise your power on the pitch if this is not given. You are allowed to instruct a captain to not speak to you if they are being rude or restrictively persistent in their questioning. Of course you can also card the captain and ask for another speaking captain to be assigned for the team. If someone has caused you this much grief (not that I have ever heard of this happening) then you might want to consider talking to the club president if they are not one and the same, and the tournament directors so they know what has happened and can deal with it.
Something which I had not really had to deal with until the European Quidditch Cup this year is issues from the crowd - a crowd full of quidditch players from other teams. Generally spectators don't engage with referees in a way which disturbs them; the roar from the crowd can be pretty easy to zone out after a while. However, if they are shouting out calls, or your name, this can be very distracting. The head referee for a pitch has the authority to ask members of the crowd to leave if they are being disruptive - if they are players you can also give them red cards, which will ban them from their next games if they are verbally abusive or become physically abusive. I've never heard of this being the case, but you have that power if necessary. The crowd should give you respect just as the players would, and it is important to remember that if they do start anything, they are at fault not you.
Most quidditch tournaments only have spectators familiar with the sport, but the tournaments on the biggest stages can have a lot of publicity and thus a lot of new people attending. If these people start to cause problems they can be the hardest to deal with. It is unlikely that you will know who they are, and as hard as it can be to discipline peers, disciplining strangers (particularly those older) is something we are unused to as referees. It is probably best to try and ignore them and get on with your job - others around are unlikely to put up with it and will be better placed to deal with it. There will always be those who mock and ridicule our sport, and always people who think they know the rules better than those who have studied and practiced extensively. You don't have to be confident in dealing with these types of people, or have a plan - it is reasonable to expect it will not occur. I believe the quidditch community is good enough to protect itself should these instances occur, and many people would stick up for you and let you get on with your job.
There are a few tips I have. The most important thing to remember is that you don't deserve it. Whether or not you have made every single call correctly, there is no reason for someone to be abusive towards you - you deserve respect and that includes people not talking back to you, whoever they are. It isn't your fault if it happens, either; I have cultivated a terrifying on pitch presence over the past two years which may be difficult to emulate (I'm kidding, I hope). If it does happen, try to stay calm at the time. Often people are trying to get a reaction from you, so not giving it to them can help. When the match is over, you can vent about it - other referees will sympathise and empathise with you, and it certainly isn't a sign of weakness if it upsets you. A lot of what referees have to deal with is unreasonable, and we are still human.
Finally, a note for players. Very soon I'm going to be releasing a piece that elaborates on a few of these points, but for now a quick guide for why I, as a referee, feel backchat is bad. Firstly, it delays the game because you are trying to force the referee to listen and respond to you - at worst they may have to penalise you, which won't make anyone happy. Secondly, it can severely affect the confidence of the referee you are speaking back to, which could discourage them from refereeing again. Then we'd have no referees and no quidditch. Volunteers, giving up their time to run games, should be supported and not have their confidence chipped away. Also remember that these are your peers, your friends; your words could hurt even more coming from a position where they may trust you outside of the game. Small backchat (the odd word here or there) could escalate into something bigger if someone sees that the referee is reacting to you, and things could get out of hand. Plus, doing it is unlikely to gain you anything but a bad reputation amongst the refereeing community, who seldom give in to such challenges. Just because arguing with the referee happens in other sports doesn't mean we should foster that culture here.
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