Post-Game Responsibilities for Officials

The final buzzer sounds. The game is over. But as an official your duties don't end with the final horn. Instead, your attention should shift to your post-game responsibilities.

Exit the court. As soon as the game is over, get off the court. There's no point in hanging around if the game went well in your mind. If you're in the area of players, coaches or fans after a game, you're inviting trouble. Avoid conflicts and go to the locker room or an area away from participants as soon as the game is over.

There's no need to search out congratulations either. If you believe them when they tell you "Good job," that means you also have to believe them when they think you were horrible. You and your partner know whether or not you did a good job.

Game discussion. Once you've found your way to the solace of your locker room or an area away from the court, you can begin to unwind mentally. You can discuss plays or events that happened in the game with your partner(s).

Report it. If there was a case of misconduct or a serious injury that occurred during the game, fill out a report. Reports are used as a tool to protect the official, personnel and any other entity responsible for a contest from today's litigious society. Jot down pertinent information as soon as possible after the game while the incident is fresh in your mind. Report any ejection, flagrant foul, unsportsmanlike conduct, unruly fan behavior or serious injury. The tone you set in your report is very important. Stick to the facts, and relate only what you observed.

WRITING YOUR REPORT

There's no need to report every cross word you have with a coach or player, but when in doubt, file an incident report that includes the following:

Date and time of the incident

The game site

The names of all the officials involved, the names of the teams and, if possible, the names of the head coaches

Court conditions

Detailed description of incident or injury, including whether and by whom medical attention was given

If possible, names or numbers of players involved Additional notes or diagrams if necessary and events that led to the incident if relevant