One of the most highly scrutinized fields in our society is referees which all athletic events need to run smoothly. More and more during high school athletic events, almost every call, good or bad, is being complained about by one side of the athletic facility or the other. 

Though not everyone thinks that their biases or miscalls are on purpose, as Wheeling Park’s Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Chris Daugherty believes that the perception of bias is either human error or fanaticism. 

“I do not think that they’re biased…I think when they make a call, 50% of the gym is happy, and the other 50% thinks it’s a biased call…most officials are not too worried about Wheeling Park or what team or making anybody happy. They’re calling a game, they make mistakes, but they are not biased,” said Daugherty. 

When referees make mistakes, it is very common for them to get some words from the stands, and at times it becomes too much. People thinking that refs are biased is causing some referees to quit their refereeing jobs. According to isport 360, “seventy percent of referees quit within three years of starting.” This isn’t affecting the high school level all that much, as those events are first in line when needing officials. Though middle school sports have had some issues finding referees. Which raises the concern of how fans and parents could do better when a bad call is made. This led Coach Daugherty to say this about that issue. 

“I think buying your ticket, and having a passion for your team does not give you the right to attack an official verbally,” said Daugherty. 

Also at the high school level, several Wheeling Park students are becoming certified referees, at all levels, even these younger referees are verbally attacked every once in a while. Some of these students can be frequently seen at Wheeling Park athletic events, whether it be on the field or court, or in the stands. Junior Anthony Mealy is one of those students or is a certified basketball referee, and he expressed his thoughts on potential biased referees. 

“They can be, the majority aren’t, no ones really betting on high school or middle school games, so it’s not really a big deal,” said Mealy. 

There may or may not be any biased refs, but they do make mistakes, and they have to hear several things from the stands during a game. Though Coach Daugherty did mention a very important fact. 

“People forget that athletics go away if we don’t have officials.”