Enjoy these ten video clips of referees on the wrong end of the ball, stick, or even punch.
Every sports fan on this planet, including you, has been upset with a referee's call more than a few times. To placate that tiny flame of anger in your heart, here are ten videos of referees getting tackled, tripped, punched, or otherwise inconvenienced on the sports field.
Arena Football Referee Gets Hit Where It Hurts
As the sportscaster says, touchdown Dallas! Or maybe touch-up, in this case. Listen carefully and you can hear all the fans in the area say, "Ohhhhh" on that particular spike. And looks like the ref got up and called a penalty! That's one tough referee, in more ways than one, pun intended.
Sticking It to the Ref
Now that's some gooooood high sticking! Well, maybe not quite but it got the job done. Seems the referee didn't get out of the way of the action in this college hockey game between Vermont and Boston. Good thing he was wearing a helmet!
Referee KO in Boxing Fight
In this boxing match between Cuba and Canada in the "80"s (Go Willy DeWitt!), two referees are on the wrong end of the gloves! A clip of this mishap is in the opening sequence of "Malcolm in the Middle", interestingly enough.
Basketball Player Hits Referee
Watch the irate basketball player kick the ball, and then the referee! And then everyone gets in on the action, including a sheik.
Hockey Fight With Referee
A clip from a hockey game from the Slovakian league, although for a moment it looks like a wrestling match between referee and player. And then the referee gets whacked with a hockey stick! Word has it the offending player, Martin Mraz, received an eighteen month suspension for losing his cool on the ice.
When Fans Attack
From a soccer game in Sweden, a fan (now known as "Terror Tommy") attacks a referee with a flying leap to the lower spine. Now, that's being upset with a ref's call! They should sign that guy on for the high jump competition next Olympics.
Basketball Player Knocks Out Referee
This referee really gets it in a pro basketball game in Uruguay. Knocked out, fractured jaw, emergency surgery, the whole works. The punchy player, Elvis Bowling, got banned for life from the league and a lot of legal trouble as well. Deservedly so, in my opinion.
Referee KO
Y'know, it really says something about humanity when someone puts in sound effects to a video of a referee getting punched out in a boxing match.
Referee Hit on Head by Ball
Watch the beautiful parabola arc of the soccer ball towards the referee, and the following bounce, and then the laughter of the crowd. Again, the humanity.
Ref Gets Hit in the Face With Ball
This video says it's from a soccer game between Liverpool and Bradford, but it is really a match between a referee's head and a fast moving ball. Nice sideways stagger there, too. Ouch!
I hope you enjoyed these videos. Remember, it is always right and proper to respect the referee and his decisions. Or, at the very least, not throw a punch or drill a ball into him. Game on!
