basketball-schiedsrichter.de | Schiedsrichter

	Presse \| Basketball
	Quelle: www.post-gazette.com \| 16. Januar 2005
	Die Kinder sind die großen Verlierer im Schiedsrichter-Urteil
	I feel sorry for Ron Bell. You know his sad story. He's the high school basketball official from Scottdale who was body-slammed to the hardwood last February by the father of a Hampton High School player. He hasn't been able to work since. He can't referee games. He can't golf or go on the vacations his family always cherished. Now, Bell is a two-time victim. Of course, he's a victim for the second time after his attacker, Peter Dukovich, was convicted Thursday only of simple assault. Dukovich, who was acquitted of reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and assault on a sports official, will do no jail time. How it must have sickened Bell to pick up Friday's Post-Gazette and see a picture of Dukovich leaving the court room with his family, smiling, ready to return to his normal life while Bell was headed back to his with neck pain, headaches and dizziness. I know it made me want to heave. Maybe Dukovich came across as something of a sympathetic character in Common Pleas Judge John Zottola's courtroom, at least compared to his wife. RaeLynn Dukovich had pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in March and was fined $300 for her escalating role in the incident. She had come out of the stands first to curse and berate Bell after the Dukovich's son, Tim, was involved in a fight during a game at Deer Lakes Feb. 6. No matter what, I'm still having a hard time understanding how Peter Dukovich could beat the reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct charges. Didn't he and his wife come out on the court, where they had no business being under any circumstances, and make matters worse for police, who were on the fight instantly and trying to restore peace? I'll admit right here that I know nothing about the law. But how does that not qualify as reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct? And don't even get me started about that assault on a sports official business. Officials in all youth sports are taking this verdict as hard as Bell. You wouldn't believe how many I've heard from since Zottola's decision from all parts of the country. They've been following this story closely via the Internet. The disbelief in their e-mails is palpable. So is their fear. It has just been recently that the laws have been strengthened to protect sports officials. Punishment for assaulting them is supposed to be stiffer than in a typical assault case. Presumably, that's because the officials are, at a great cost of their time and for very little pay, trying to do something good -- helping our kids enjoy the benefits of competitive sports. Let's face it. It's not easy being a referee or an umpire these days. It's not exactly a breaking story that parents and fans take the games way too seriously. Maybe they're trying to relive their childhood. Or maybe they're blinded by their hopes of their son or daughter getting a college scholarship. What's indisputable is that the officials are taking more abuse than ever. At least the tougher laws would protect them from physical harm. Or so they thought. How foolish that seems now after Zottola's verdict. Hasn't a precedent been set here? What's to stop this from happening again? What's to stop the next parent or fan from coming on the floor and attacking an official? Like Dukovich, he could say he feared for a family member's safety. And like Dukovich, he could say he didn't know he was body-slamming an official, no matter how much the referee's black-and-white-stripped jersey might be a giveaway. You would think that would be enough for any clear-thinking official to say, "Enough is enough. It's just not worth it anymore." You know who the losers will be then, don't you? Our children. You want to feel sorry for someone? Feel sorry for them. It's not just that there would be no games without the referees and umpires. It's that our kids have been sent a troubling mixed message with this case. In practice each day, they are taught by their coaches about sportsmanship and clean, fair play. That's one of the blessings of youth sports. Now they have to pick up the newspaper and read about an official being attacked on the court during a game and the perpetrator virtually getting away with it? Doesn't that send a message that violence is the way to solve a dispute? Then again, we were headed down that tragic path long before the sports world knew of Bell and Dukovich. For too long and in too many situations, violence has been looked at as the logical and acceptable solution. The person I feel most sorry for is the man who left me a voice mail Thursday afternoon, not long after Zottola's decision. He couldn't wait to harp about the incompetence of the local basketball officials. "Cheaters and losers," he called them. "They deserve what they get." Wouldn't you just love to see that guy try to explain that to Bell?