Sport’s ugly blind spot (Part 2) | Taking the heat out of the situation | Sideline behaviour | and more!

MAY NEWSLETTER 2021

Hello friends,

Last month we released Part 1 of Patrick Skene's journal series 'Sport’s ugly blind spot – abuse of officials'. Around the same time, the NSW Office Of Sport launched their campaign: 'Shoosh for Kids' to minimise abuse from the sidelines and increase enjoyment.

While research from Flinders University suggests that sideline behaviour is not getting any worse, we continue to lament the lack of genuine collective effort required to protect our match officials from the serious and traumatising effects of abuse.

Part 2 of Patrick Skene's series gives us a look into the unsettling endgame of abuse towards match officials and examples where different standards produce different results.

Read Part 2 in full here.

Regards,
Tarik Bayrakli
Manager, Club Respect

CLUB RESPECT JOURNAL

Sport’s ugly blind spot – abuse of officials [Part 2]
By Patrick Skene

“The outbreaks of violence against referees often sit at the tip of a pyramid of a dehumanisation process, in which an official is tarred with unchallenged labels that erode their authority. Once their integrity is undermined, it triggers an environment that encourages verbal or physical abuse.”

CLUB RESPECT TOOLS

SMART Steps | Club Respect

Every club has experienced tricky situations. Be it an abusive spectator, an off-colour remark from a player — we’ve all been there. Knowing how to look after yourself and others, while defusing the situation is key to maintaining a strong and respectful club culture.

Here’s some SMART tips (2 page handout) for taking the heat out of the situation so
everyone can get back to enjoying the game, safely and respectfully.

PDF Info Sheet >

BAD BEHAVIOUR IN THE NEWS

Are parents acting worse at junior sports or have they always been badly behaved? | ABC News

"Sport SA's CEO says its dispute centre has never been busier. A Flinders University researcher said 70 years of data suggested adults were behaving no worse than they always have."