Marc Curles

[HarsinVol]

Simply because one wears the sacred black and white stripes should not guarantee them immunity from their poor job function.

Why are you having trouble understanding that point?

Understand it? I lived it. "Poor job function' isn't a reason that exists in the hierarchy of sports officials as an assessment of advancement. I cannot be clearer than that.

 

[HarsinVol]

Appreciate the perspective, but this is a slippery slope fallacy. We are talking about a multi-million-dollar industry here. It’s like saying people will stop volunteering to run sound at church because fans complained about some egregious failure by the audio engineer at a Metallica show. Same job, entirely different contexts.

You can attempt to explain away the direct relationship between public behavior and sports officials as some kind of 'fallacy' but it is not. I quoted the studies before.

 

[Remy]

He needs to be looked at to make sure he's not betting on these games

"He" doesn't have to bet on games. His brother, sister, or children could be.

 

[HarsinVol]

"He" doesn't have to bet on games. His brother, sister, or children could be.

Attempting to tie sports officials to gambling payoffs is an antiquated process. When it wasn't, there were still very, very few exposed incidents, in short, this dog don't hunt.

 

[chef3531]

The cultural thing that I personally find frustrating is that, in many respects, officiating in general has never been better than it is today. There are a lot of different ways that we have to communicate with people. A lot of our officials’ groups across the country have Facebook groups with officials constantly sharing plays, videos and rules questions. The community of officiating, in terms of how we’re communicating, educating and training has never been better.

Curles ain't reading anything, or taking criticism. People wash out of boot camp every day, every career field. You want sympathy for officials? Lol. That's rich. You are literally defending incompetence.

 

[HarsinVol]

Curles ain't reading anything, or taking criticism. People wash out of boot camp every day, every career field. You want sympathy for officials? Lol. That's rich. You are literally defending incompetence.

You haven't read my posts or otherwise e you wouldn't make such a contentious, inaccurate assessment of my position on this subject.
So...moving along...

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

@HarsinVol - I know this isn't the case anymore but do you think it was a conflict of interest for Steve Shaw, a Bama grad and fan, to assign and evaluate the performance of refs of Alabama football games?

 

[TNnative]

I encourage everyone who sees this to reach out.

I just did. From my recliner. Right toward the TV. Nothing happened. I tried.

 

[HarsinVol]

@HarsinVol - I know this isn't the case anymore but do you think it was a conflict of interest for Steve Shaw, a Bama grad and fan, to assign and evaluate the performance of refs of Alabama football games?

Good sports officials claim to be neutral to the teams that they officiate and to the officials they assign. The truth is that it is impossible not to be influenced...call it by environmental factors. I would agree that "Steve Shaw, a Bama grad and fan, to assign and evaluate the performance of refs of Alabama football games" is a bad look.

These SEC, and other mature sports officials organization, they know exactly what the lay of the land is. Why assign him there?

 

[VFFL@THE BEACH]

Good sports officials claim to be neutral to the teams that they officiate and to the officials they assign. The truth is that it is impossible not to be influenced...call it by environmental factors. I would agree that "Steve Shaw, a Bama grad and fan, to assign and evaluate the performance of refs of Alabama football games" is a bad look.

These SEC, and other mature sports officials organization, they know exactly what the lay of the land is. Why assign him there?

As an official, not a NCAA official, I understand the idea that an official can be neutral. I also understand that just because you think your nuetral does not make its so. Its a similar situation to judge that just because he wears a robe he is instantly completely impartial. I think few can be as close as humanly possible to impartial. I think some are impartial without necessarily seeing it but they haven't truly put their mind in the position and others are homers that can't help it.

With all that, as an official I feel that I could call the schools that I am close to impartially because I don't care who wins or loses. I want to make the right call. However, I try at all costs to avoid any situation where someone can make an argument to biased. Unfortunately, this does not seem like the case with the SEC.

In my experience, most officiating circles are fairly small, tight knit group of people. Despite the armchair quarterbacks, there really isn't a large group of people armed with the right knowledge, ability and willingness to officiate most sports. The SEC should be different due to the attention and amount of money in NCCAA football. The SEC should be the leader in training, and evaluating officials. I think it should include a stringent selection and requalification process that repeats on a yearly basis. They should also probably break up teams of officials every 5 years or so.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

You can attempt to explain away the direct relationship between public behavior and sports officials as some kind of 'fallacy' but it is not. I quoted the studies before.

I have no doubt that the behavior of adults at those games has an effect. I have seen how idiotic and unreasonable parents (and others) can be at and about high school football games. But again, that is a separate issue. We aren’t talking about Jim-Bob getting glared at at the barber shop because he called pass interference on Big Rick’s son last Friday. We’re talking about people employed by, again, a business with tens (hundreds?) of millions in revenue annually failing to hold those employees accountable for a pattern of poor performance over multiple games and seasons.

 

[PandamoniumReigns]

Understand it? I lived it. "Poor job function' isn't a reason that exists in the hierarchy of sports officials as an assessment of advancement. I cannot be clearer than that.

You are still missing the point. Poor job function should not qualify someone to advance in their profession. I agree. However, it should qualify someone for termination of said profession.

Marc Curles, since this thread is dedicated to him, should qualify for termination. He has singlehandedly called, or been responsible, for several egregious calls that changed outcomes of games. Therefore potentially affecting the employment and livelihood of those affiliated with the institutions in which he negatively affected.

Why does someone like him still continue to work games when his calls are so egregiously wrong that even the most non educated fan can see the errors?

Listen...I know you want to defend your profession. But every job has it's problem children. Owning up is a sign of good leader. Deflecting and excusing is a sign of a hidden agenda and piss poor leadership. i.e. Sankey

 

[whobethis16]

I have no doubt that the behavior of adults at those games has an effect. I have seen how idiotic and unreasonable parents (and others) can be at and about high school football games. But again, that is a separate issue. We aren’t talking about Jim-Bob getting glared at at the barber shop because he called pass interference on Big Rick’s son last Friday. We’re talking about people employed by, again, a business with tens (hundreds?) of millions in revenue annually failing to hold those employees accountable for a pattern of poor performance over multiple games and seasons.

There are articles about officials being assaulted, even killed, over calls. We just saw a few years ago Kentucky fans posting the personal business of a ref and calling the people to try to destroy it because of a call he made in a basketball game. It's far beyond "Jim-Bob getting glared at".

 

[whobethis16]

You are still missing the point. Poor job function should not qualify someone to advance in their profession. I agree. However, it should qualify someone for termination of said profession.

Marc Curles, since this thread is dedicated to him, should qualify for termination. He has singlehandedly called, or been responsible, for several egregious calls that changed outcomes of games. Therefore potentially affecting the employment and livelihood of those affiliated with the institutions in which he negatively affected.

Why does someone like him still continue to work games when his calls are so egregiously wrong that even the most non educated fan can see the errors?

Listen...I know you want to defend your profession. But every job has it's problem children. Owning up is a sign of good leader. Deflecting and excusing is a sign of a hidden agenda and piss poor leadership. i.e. Sankey

Let me guess: you have absolutely zero proof of a "hidden agenda", just what you think is bad officiating when you've most likely never read a rulebook, casebook, taken officials' exams, etc.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Let me guess: you have absolutely zero proof of a "hidden agenda", just what you think is bad officiating when you've most likely never read a rulebook, casebook, taken officials' exams, etc.

Marc Curles has been suspended multiple times over the past dozen years, publicly reprimanded many additional times, and has schools publicly requesting the SEC not to assign him to their games due to prior blown calls.

At some point, a guy just isn't cut out for a job. This appears to be one of those times.

I am shocked that officials are taking up for a guy like this. He makes the 98% of them that are trying their best look bad.

 

[whobethis16]

Marc Curles has been suspended multiple times over the past dozen years, publicly reprimanded many additional times, and has schools publicly requesting the SEC not to assign him to their games due to prior blown calls.

At some point, a guy just isn't cut out for a job. This appears to be one of those times.

I am shocked that officials are taking up for a guy like this. He makes the 98% of them that are trying their best look bad.

Then maybe you should try to go through the ranks and get into yourself. Yes, there are bad calls, and officials that don't do a great job. But I can tell you, that the more people act like you are about it, the worse it's going to get. There is already a terrible officials shortage across the country, games being cancelled because of not enough officials. Charlotte area barely has enough baseball umpires to cover all their games. Young officials who may be interested in working their way up get turned away because of the treatment, leaving just the retired folks, which means soon they won't be doing it.

 

[whobethis16]

Marc Curles has been suspended multiple times over the past dozen years, publicly reprimanded many additional times, and has schools publicly requesting the SEC not to assign him to their games due to prior blown calls.

At some point, a guy just isn't cut out for a job. This appears to be one of those times.

I am shocked that officials are taking up for a guy like this. He makes the 98% of them that are trying their best look bad.

By the way: being bad is not a "hidden agenda". Where's the proof of this hidden agenda you seem to think there is?

 

[rjd970]

Can one of the officiating apologists explain this one to me? This goes past a missed call or simple inconsistency. This is looking out for a particular team, for whatever reason.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Then maybe you should try to go through the ranks and get into yourself. Yes, there are bad calls, and officials that don't do a great job. But I can tell you, that the more people act like you are about it, the worse it's going to get. There is already a terrible officials shortage across the country, games being cancelled because of not enough officials. Charlotte area barely has enough baseball umpires to cover all their games. Young officials who may be interested in working their way up get turned away because of the treatment, leaving just the retired folks, which means soon they won't be doing it.

I have officiated 4 sports and have a 16 year old son that officiates 3. What I've learned is the bottom 5% of officials cause the majority of the problems. Games that get out of control from a player and fan perspective are overwhelmingly officiated by a person that is in way over their head.

That's what we have here with Marc Curles. I'm not saying he's a bad guy but the game moves too fast for him. I know I could not officiate at that level so I don't even try.

 

[whobethis16]

I have officiated 4 sports and have a 16 year old son that officiates 3. What I've learned is the bottom 5% of officials cause the majority of the problems. Games that get out of control from a player and fan perspective are overwhelmingly officiated by a person that is in way over their head.

That's what we have here with Marc Curles. I'm not saying he's a bad guy but the game moves too fast for him. I know I could not officiate at that level so I don't even try.

Oh good, then you have that leg up and should be able to get into the SEC level.

 

[whobethis16]

Can one of the officiating apologists explain this one to me? This goes past a missed call or simple inconsistency. This is looking out for a particular team, for whatever reason.

Simple. Different crews, different perspectives. Just like judgement calls in baseball. Just because one judged it to be, doesn't mean the other should or shouldn't have.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Oh good, then you have that leg up and should be able to get into the SEC level.

I know I can not officiate at that level. I did HS games about 15 years ago and realized that was my limit.

Im 20 lbs heavier now and eyesight aint quite as good as it used to be. I recognize my limitations though.

 

[volinSmyrna]

Can one of the officiating apologists explain this one to me? This goes past a missed call or simple inconsistency. This is looking out for a particular team, for whatever reason.

I will never see that clip and not get absolutely livid at that one.

 

[volinSmyrna]

Simple. Different crews, different perspectives. Just like judgement calls in baseball. Just because one judged it to be, doesn't mean the other should or shouldn't have.

The fact that one even "judged" that to be a foul at all is a problem. I get that there are bad calls and missed calls, but we have to get the ridiculous out of the game.

 

[wmcovol]

I will never see that clip and not get absolutely livid at that one.

Matt Jones was absolutely $hitting the bed and that call really bailed them out. Tennessee had a real shot in that game after Tua went out but couldnt overcome crooked refs and selfish JG......