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Opinion remains divided around the world about Serena Williams' recent heated dispute with umpire Carlos Ramos at the US Open.
Williams accused Ramos of sexism and called him a "thief" — a highly personal attack and one, if made anywhere but on a tennis court, would have warranted a reply from Ramos and possibly legal action.
So, how do referees and umpires cope with personal abuse?
Football referee and QUT researcher Scotty Russell has spent five years studying referees and said sports fans are forgetting about the emotional and mental welfare of referees and umpires.
"Most of the attention is on the game and the reaction of the players but it would be fair to acknowledge that it's a very difficult environment for the refs, they are trying their best and we should be taking care of the people who make the game what it is," he said.
"There are mental challenges that referees face that are unique and they need to be supported through them."
Abuse of umpires and officials is not limited to the international arena.
Visit any local sporting field on Saturday morning and you'll witness young umpires coping abuse from the sidelines.
"I've been told by junior umpires about frightening times when they've had grown men standing over them and yelling at them — that's a lot to deal with when you're 15 years old," Mr Russell said.
'Time for tougher penalties'
Last month, leading NRL referee Matt Cecchin revealed he was quitting the game after death threats, ongoing criticism and his own battle with mental illness.
Cecchin, 44, announced he will hang up his whistle at the end of the year because the intense public criticism was affecting his home life.
The referee of three NRL grand finals also made a plea for full-time sports psychologists to be available to referees, not just players.
"As a group we are focused so much on our physical attributes and knowing the rules — we have done very little with mental health," he said.
Mr Russell agreed, saying it was time for the leaders of all sporting codes to back referees with tougher penalties for those caught abusing officials.
Queensland's top coach for football referees Ted Kearney said officials are not in it for the pay and don't deserve the abuse.
"We do what we do because we love the game just as much as any player, coach or spectator and considering the abuse that comes with this commitment, it should be patently obvious that we certainly do not do it for the money," Mr Kearney said.
Mr Russell interviewed Professional A-League and Brisbane league referees as part of his five-year research project, which has just been published in an academic journal.
'These kids need more support'
NBL referee Toni Caldwell, 42, has officiated games at a national and international level and said she had experienced bullying and even a death threat.
The 11-season NBL veteran said an incident earlier this year left her shaken after a player physically pushed her.
"It was early on in an A-grade game and a player was disputing calls, and he got a technical foul and didn't like it," Ms Caldwell said.
"He pushed me and he had to be physically restrained and hurled abuse as me as he left the court.
"There was a judiciary hearing and he was found guilty of four charges and could have faced a penalty of 133 weeks out of the sport, but was given a suspended sentence of six weeks — that was very disappointing."
Ms Caldwell said junior umpires dealt with abuse every week on courts and sporting field across Australia and that is why she felt compelled to speak out.
"Just last weekend, I was told about a junior ref at a basketball game who was told by an adult, sitting on the score table, that he should go and hang himself from the ceiling," she said.
"People don't realise the impact these comments have on young kids ... these kids just keep getting abused and it's not right."
Annie Rose, 22, has been refereeing basketball for eight years but said she has lost count of the number of times she has gone home from basketball games in tears.
She said she has been subjected to almost a decade of "relentless" bullying from players, coaches and spectators and at times has fled to the toilets at halftime to weep.
Ms Rose mentors young umpires and recently took to social media to vent her anger in a Facebook post that has been shared thousands of times.
Ms Rose said she has been contacted by referees across the world saying they have been subjected to similar abuse.
"I stood up to the bullies and told them enough is enough," she said.
"I stood up for myself, my friends and junior refs because no one should have to be abused while they do a job they love."
She said she no longer allowed family and friends to watch the games she referees.
"I don't need or want them to hear the abuse that gets hurled at me and all other refs — it's really disheartening."
Ms Caldwell said she backed calls for more emotional and mental health support for umpires, especially up and coming referees.
"These kids need more support," she said.
"If this was happening in a workplace or in a school, there would be HR [human resources] involved or we would start programs to stop bullying and abuse.
"But just because it's on the sporting field it seems to be ok — and that's the part that I can't really understand.
"It makes you question why you ask these young kids to go out there every week and do it — and tell them they are going to be safe and assure them and their parents that they're going to be fine, that nothing will happen to them, but I really don't know that they will."
Basketball Australia have been contacted for comment.
Topics: bullying, sport, basketball, mental-health, australia, brisbane-4000, qld
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