Unnoticed until it matters: Love of the game worth the madness that comes with being a ref

Utah Jazz guard John Stockton, right, goes nose-to-nose with official Bernie Fryer after being called for a foul in the fourth quarter of a first-round playoff game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif. , Saturday, April 20, 2002. The Kings beat the Jazz 89-86 in the first game of the best-of-five series.

| RICH PEDRONCELLI With buzzer-beating excitement and bracket-busting madness in the air, players and coaches will make a name for themselves in college basketball’s most iconic month. And Americans, including those who don’t usually care about sports, get in on the action by watching tournament games, participating in bracket groups and rooting for their alma mater. But in the background of March Madness, there’s one group that seems to go unnoticed — until something goes wrong.

Just ask former BYU basketball standout-turned-NBA official Bernie Fryer. Standing on the sideline of the then-named TD Waterhouse Centre in 2002, the veteran NBA referee found himself in a situation referees dream of — or have nightmares about. “Criticism and second-guessing is just part of what we do.

We put ourselves out there and make ourselves vulnerable. We know when we get something wrong and we feel bad about it, for days or weeks, depending on the call or how it affects the game. We all want to be perfect but we are human.