CONDEMNATION for an alleged attack on a Sydney football referee at the weekend was swift and severe.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described the attack as "absolutely shocking and appalling", while Sports Minister Steve Kamper dubbed it "one of the worst attacks I've ever seen at any sporting event at any level".
The alleged attacker is due to face court and his team, Greenacre Eagles, withdrew from the remainder of the season in the wake of the incident.
The court system will determine the facts around the incident and the penalties, if any, that are suitable. Yet while Mr Kamper says the alleged incident appears to be severe, it is far from isolated in a sporting environment where referees are routinely berated.
In 2016, Northern NSW Football worked to educate spectators with campaigns Silent Saturday and Referee Recognition. It came a year after an alleged headbutt on a referee in a match at Metford.
"The barrage from the sideline is mainly what we're trying to stop," club and referee development officer Ross Hicks said of the 2016 campaigns at the time. "It's the 'you've got to be kidding me', 'you're wasting my time', 'kick it, kick it', kind of abuse, whether it's directed at players or referees. We don't need people to be silent, but just cheer."
Without referees and umpires, sporting contests at all levels grind to a halt the moment the two sides or players can't agree on a course of action. It is the independent third voice that allows games to proceed, and keeps contents on an even keel.
While players are often amateurs, officiators can face expectations that they are flawless at whatever level they oversee.
The reason animosity towards those making the calls is treated with such a heavy hand is that what is allowed to pass on the field today is likely to become the standard tomorrow, particularly at an elite level where young aspiring players are watching intently.
The rhetoric is generally quite clear that there is no place in sport of any kind for abuse - whether physical or verbal - towards officiators, and that penalties for proven transgressions must reflect that. But too often leading commentators are also leading the charge against those with the whistle.
Criticism of refereeing decisions has become an enshrined part of the weekly discussion in the NRL and other sports, and perhaps creates a slippery slope when respect at every level should be the goal.
