and you thought Parents and Coaches were hard on Sports Officials

[onetime]

For your reading pleasure;

This is a current and ongoing action taking place for the 2018 -2019 High School Sports Season in the Central Coast Section.

As a result of a contract dispute between Peninsula Sports Inc. (PSI) and the Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL), (Central Coast Section) a vast majority of PSI Members stand with the opinion that PSI is impeding and denying BVAL Student athletes the opportunity to enjoy and engage in High School sports, by intentionally making sports officials unavailable to referee their games.

Thus, PSI to include its Staff, has malevolently sabotaged the current winter and upcoming spring BVAL Sports Season.

PSI's tactics, include continuous verbal and written threats, intimidation and retaliation against independent contractor Sports Officials who have membership with PSI, by sending emails and text messages telling Sports Officials to stay “loyal” to PSI and to NOT referee ANY games for BVAL, because BVAL has no way of paying officials and that BVAL is not accredited.

PSI staunchly refers to their members as ‘independent contractors’. Yet, for Officials who have exercised their ‘independence’ and continued to officiate games for BVAL, PSI staff have appeared at BVAL games to take photos of Officials to later verbally intimate them by telling them to stop providing services to BVAL, or else.

For Officials who have continued to officiate or assist BVAL in any way, PSI has retaliated against them by “unassigning” any and all future games remaining under PSI contract that had already been assigned/scheduled and accepted by officials. Not only has this resulted in a financial loss to several officials, it has been presented and used as an example to threaten and intimidate the remainder of officials, to prevent them from officiating games for BVAL, for fear of losing all future PSI game assignments.

PSI’s tactics have impacted BVAL by creating a massive shortage of officials for their games, which in turn, negatively impacts all student athletes, who have worked hard this season and look forward to participating in competitive sports. As a result, this has forced BVAL to enact an emergency officiating plan to fulfill their current winter and spring season.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

Not only do I not have a dog in this fight, I have no idea what either party is talking about. All I will say is that the referees that cover the PAL North and South and WCAL are superb and we are VERY fortunate to have them.

 

[Renard Monroe]

Wow...hope this ends on a good note.

 

[Crusaders70]

So, assuming this is true, if the BVAL isn't using accredited officials then wouldn't their teams be ineligible for section and state playoffs?

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

Who said officials weren't properly accredited?

 

[shcguy92]

Well CCS by laws required Accredited associations to officiate their sanctioned competitions. I have served on many association committees who go through this accredidation either yearly or once every three years maximum. So if BVAL is not employing an accredited association, then they are non accredited officials.

Officials independently are not accredited. They are accredited through membership within their association. So outside of working for the association, they are not accredited.

 

[Openlooks]

If this were true, is it possible that an entire season was completed without anybody's knowledge that unaccredited officials were being used? It would be hard to believe that these officials were not part of other accredited associations, insured, etc.

 

[onetime]

https://www.recordnet.com/news/20190218/officials-whistle-fans-for-personal-fouls

 

[onetime]

According to Mark Risley


"All Officials:

I want all of you to know our (PSI) CCS basketball assignments have been reduced from roughly 50 slots in the first round to 15 slots. This will continue throughout the playoffs. The reason for this is the BVAL has lobbied the CCS to not assign PSI officials to CCS Playoffs that include a BVAL team. The CCS has consulted their attorneys and have changed the assigning process dictated by the CCS By-Laws. The CCS policy has always been, the higher seeded team gets the official's association. This is the first time it isn't happening.

I apologize for not being able to give all of you the CCS assignments you have enjoyed for all the years while working for PSI. I know none of you are bias against any school or any league. All of you work with the utmost integrity and I appreciate everything you have done for me, PSI, the schools and the Student Athletes through the years.

I'm sorry this has happened, but it is out of my control. In closing, the Ownership of PSI has been transferred to Tom Emery and Rick Moore.

Best,

Mark Risley"