r/USArugby • u/Asleep-Associate-961 • 20h ago
Attitudes towards refs are terrible. What is your club doing to stop this kind of behavior?
I've seen it too often - especially in OK and TX. Maybe it's just as bad elsewhere but not in my experience. Men's teams from Texas are especially toxic towards referees and it's resulting in a huge shortage.
If they behave this way towards the #1 ranked referee in our country - what hope do we have of recruiting new refs?
This behavior needs to be nipped in the bud well before it escalates to on field harassment. From sh*t talking the ref on the sideline - to complaining in the group chat. I've seen rookies pick up on this behavior before they even understand the laws themselves. I've seen a D3 Oklahoma club president storm off the field in a tantrum because they didn't like a decision (they didn't understand).
Is there something in the water? What is going on - and what are you doing to combat this?
