I've waited a long time for the right opportunity to put this debate on the blog--and now its here! I'll quote two of the most recent commentors (even though I do not know who either of them might be) from the previous blog post.
Here is what "Sharpie" said:
"This is a great, albeit sad, article about a well respected official. This re-iterates how incompetent people will do whatever they can to show they have higher self-regard for their abilities than warranted.
There are quite a few examples of officials in Texas that fit the same mold as Laura Mattson, especially those working professional events, who aren't qualified to be officials. Passing a test doesn't give an official the right to work any and all events they desire."
Here is what "Anonymous" said:
"So doesn't the same apply to ITA officials in Texas, I've seen more than a few that are, "less than qualified" shall we say...of course all of them believe they are God's gift to umpiring."
Now I'll leave it up our readers to get involved in some good dialogue about this issue.
To sharpen our discussion it might be good to consider only those officials we have seen in person and worked with together instead of those we see on television.
25 comments:
Randy,
This poll is difficult to answer... their a BIG difference between calling a line and roving courts and sitting in on a College match!
Is the vote for overall personality, ethics, or looks? Not really sure where you are headed on this one...
But for what its worth... ITA Officials are more relaxed!
BACO
I work both ITA and Pro and there are some great officials in each and most do a good job, but sad to say there are some in each that I can't understand how or why they keep getting hired. Sadly the bad apples get all the press.
Differences in Pro vs ITA officials:
In Pro events, diversity and inclusion are more important than competence. Case in point. The USTA continues to hire chair officials based solely on being non-Caucasian. I think we all know the oriental lady that has been chairing Futures level tournaments. Although she FAILED ITF Chair Umpire White Badge school, she was given a kitchen pass and her failing grades were changed to PASS. She continues to be hired to work professional events. She hasn’t learned much in the pasts three years, making egregious mistakes during her matches, to the point where the Supervisor will not step out of their hiding places when she’s officiating matches. So who is actually hiring her? Nobody knows, or will fess up. All other chair umpires, as well as line umpires know how bad she is, yet she continues to be hired; reason being, she threatens to sue the USTA and Supervisor if they don’t hire her.
The same can be said of NFL officials. Remember Super Box XLVII, when the Referee was selected solely based on diversity guidelines? The non-Caucasian Referee had unspectacular in-season grades for his refereeing that had been mysteriously changed after the fact to make him more qualified, and he didn’t have enough playoff experience under the NFL’s own guidelines, guidelines that were changed to make him eligible. Better yet, anybody remember the botched calls he made during the game?
Did anybody care to watch the US Open this past year and count how many US born and raised vs foreign (inclusion-driven) officials were chairing matches? It was almost laughable. Also, anybody actually count how many diversity-quota line umpires were used during matches were “players of color” were being televised, to showcase the extended pool of non-Caucasian USTA officials. Guaranteed the quota for non-Caucasian officials was off-scale by a factor of 1000 or more.
In ITA events, diversity and inclusion are not even brought up as a consideration for hiring practices. Assignments are based solely on an officials’ ability to handle difficult situations and the ability of an official to be a team player. Those officials that can’t make the grade are sent off to work professional events. Case in point. There have been ITA chair officials that have been banned from collegiate matches, primarily based on coaches’ inputs, rightfully so. These same officials are now working lines at professional events. Enough said!!!
When the ‘chosen’ pro chair umpires do get called to work ITA events, in most cases, they will accept the assignment but invariably back out before the scheduled match date. Reason being, they would rather work a professional event where they get paid $95 instead of a collegiate match where they could make up to $250. Go figure that one! When they do honor their collegiate commitments, in most cases they seem to get in trouble, either by not fully understanding ITA rules, or inserting their pro-mentality attitude into the match, which really pisses off the coaches. Has anybody ever watched a collegiate event where all matches were chaired? If so, then you can surely identify those officials who primarily work professional events. On close calls, there go their fingers up in the air (BEFORE A PLAYER REQUESTS A RULING ON A LINE CALL). They will also be the first to leave the event and not socialize with the other officials - something about being more godly that the other peasant officials. That attitude is part of the inbreeding professional chair umpires learn early in life from working professional events.
Granted, there are always exceptions to the rule. There are good and poor officials across the board. One parting shot: In my humble opinion, if an official doesn’t know how to play tennis, then they shouldn’t be officiating tennis matches.
.
Spot On Sharpie!!!!
The pro officials I have worked with are the most arrogant and self-centered folks I have ever known. That doesn't even begin to address how they treat new officials. Has nothing to do with their competence and everything to do with their attitudes.
"They will also be the first to leave the event and not socialize with the other officials - something about being more godly that the other peasant officials. That attitude is part of the inbreeding professional chair umpires learn early in life from working professional events. "
Um, how about the other side of that coin, I worked a college match with 5 others who didn't even respond to a greeting. I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Their attitudes were, we are the best, and why would any one ever want to be "line weasle" (their word, not mine) over a college match. I have seen everyone of therse people in the chair, and they were sloppy, lazy, and over all not very good chairs and further more didn't seem to be able to see the ball all that well. I.e. when appealed to either allowed an obvious "hook" or just plain made a bad overrule...this happened time and time again...as I'm sure it will happen in 2014.
Frankly, I'm tired of this stale unspoken "Texas" rivalry between ITA ans Pro officials. We are all umpires.
If either one cannot see how their conduct perpetuates this idiocy, then well, the hell with both.
"Line weasel" Now that's a new one on me.
Every time I have been around pro events its either run by a bunch of old women or dominated by a bunch of lesbians. Don't the men who work those events ever get tired of being dominated?
Anonymous must be a pro line official at heart. College officials know not to speak with your type cause you will tattle to the USTA. How about sticking to pro events where you belong.
The rivalry between ITA and Pro is not just in Texas. It is everywhere. I do lines and ITA chairs. When I do lines, I try to pick the brain of the best chair I see. Hopefully to pick up a good habit or tip. I had to laugh at the pro chair that told me ITA chairs don't need to know where every ball bounces, since we don't have to call them. "Like Hell we don't" Wonder how he thought we were to confirm or overrule a call, if we didn't know where every ball hit the court. We also have to operate the scoreboard, deal with coaches and fans.
Plain and simple. Pro chairs and most linespeople are totally useless in the ITA world. No wonder they never get hired to work.
" ITA Officisl said...
Anonymous must be a pro line official at heart. College officials know not to speak with your type cause you will tattle to the USTA. How about sticking to pro events where you belong."
Way to argue your case, especially with your spelling ability.
So I take it you couldn't get hired for a pro event above a 10 or 15K, or you did and couldn't hack it?
By the way, my ITA schedule is very full, so I guess if you work in Texas I'll see you somewhere on the court.
I doubt seriously that an ITA schedule is "very full" if they are a pro linesperson. If I'm wrong, send a comment and sign it.
I used to be a former pro-wannabe and was headed down the path to be a Bronze badge. Then I realized how the USTA was using trickery and out-right lies to promote their own agenda at the expense of officials, especially badged ones. One lesson we were taught early on was not to fraternize with our fellow line officials. If we did, then we would be outcasts among other badged officials. I also got tired of the constant bitching and complaining from my fellow chairs regarding what chairs they “didn’t get” although they were more deserving than others. My response would be then why in the hell don’t you just quit. I have absolutely no respect for those that constantly bitch but don’t do anything about it. We are contract labor folks. UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS!!!! Let me tell you, badged officials are the worst back-stabbing people I have ever known. After listening to all the complaints, I finally had enough and quit working pro events. Now I am semi-retired and really enjoy working collegiate matches. Unfortunately based on my past history as being a pro chair umpire, it is difficult to make inroads into the ITA crowd. I fully understand why. There are officials on both sides of the ladder (pro to college) who shouldn’t be officiating. From my experience, these people continue to get hired because they are buddies with the assigners. Unfortunately, this trend will never stop until the rank and file officials demand those in charge be replaced. As a passing note, I strongly believe ITA officials are more fun to work with. In most cases, they don’t have egos that must be stroked at every moment, which is the direct opposite of pro officials.
Guess the one with the "full schedule" isn't willing to come forth. Maybe its because the "full schedule" doesn't exist.
Maybe the umpire with the "full schedule" is so busy she can't spare the time to re-post to this blog.
So you all want me to identify myself, to let everyone know, except those that already do, that there is a "pro official" amoung the ITA umpires of Texas. Why would anyone do that? It's not anyone's business but my own.
I didn't figure she would have the courage to sign her own name. Tells me that the "full schedule" probably doesn't exist except in her mind.
This is great fun. I don't need identities. I can tell who wrote some, if not all comments. Well, except for those who haven’t worked a pro event, in a while. Guess what, somewhere down the line the badges discovered it was not in their best interest to piss-off the line people or ball kids. They can make for a good match or the match from hell. Better to work as a team.
Funny, but the professional is winning and the collegiate sound the most bitter. My opinion is very good and very bad in both. Can't we just get along.
I've seen some good and some bad on each side, but here's the thing, I don't continue to see the bad on the professional side, at least not at the ATP/WTA. They get in, but they don't get invited back. Now at the ITA, I've seen some of the bad, or weaker umpires for years. Hired by the same coordinators every yrear.
I disagree with the first part of that last comment because I've seen some of the ATP/WTA officials in action and I'd never hired them. I do however agree with the last part of the comment. I can't explain why we (and I include myself in this) keep hiring them. Maybe its because there aren't enough good ones who turn in their availability... Sometimes we have no choice.
Just out of curiosity Randy, after one of the "bad" ones turns in a less than stellar performance for you in an ITA setting, do you meet with them individually and provide feedback on their performance and suggestions on how to improve? Or are the bad ones just relegated to the less important matches or smaller colleges/conferences you work with?
I try to meet with them and go over things that I've observed or one of the coaches observed. I usually try to give them another chance at a "competitive" match but if they fail again, its probably back for more training and/or less contentious matches.
BTW, I don't always listen to what another official comes and tells me since we officials can sometimes actually be biased in our observations...
Its not a perfect science but hopefully we all do our best.
WOW--can't believe this petty bickering is still going on. Many umpires are in it for the WRONG reasons--ego, power, status--in both worlds. Many others simply ENJOY the competition and being part of the action, both in the ITA world and the Pro world. Too bad the back-stabbing takes priority over the work ethic and buries good officials for the wrong reasons. I often wondered why I put up with the nonsense until I, myself, clearly understood my reason for being part of the action--love of tennis!
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