Bob Delaney has had a most unusual life. He was Bob a New Jersey state trooper who went undercover in the 1970s to infiltrate the Mafia (and he did so successfully, leading to the arrest and prosecution of 30 gangsters) - but at the same time, he was looking ahead, and along the way, he was learning the ropes of being a basketball ref.
It was a smart move, because Bob was so good as a ref that he eventually made it all the way to the NBA and worked for 25 years in that league, doing thousands of games, including playoffs and NBA Finals. He started in the NBA in 1987 and remained as one of the league's premier refs until he stepped down in 2011.
And in addition, Bob has a new book out called Heroes are Humans: Lessons in Resilience, Courage, and Wisdom from the Covid Front Lines. It's a gripping read and most timely.
One of the reasons why I wanted to have Delaney on the show is to get his thoughts about the alarming national decline in terms of having enough refs and officials to work high school sporting events. We know that much of it is attributed to the obnoxious behavior of parents and other fans at games, and that more and more refs are quite frankly fed up with this kind of verbal abuse.
Too many sports parents these days seem to have developed a sense of "personal entitlement" to yell anything they want at a kids' game - and their vitriol is usually aimed at the refs. It's clearly out of control. There's no more sense of civility in watching our kids play.
Delaney has seen it all, and he presents some fascinating insights about this growing national dilemma. He talks about the lack of civility that now grips youth and prep sports in this country, along with his thoughts on adapting instant replay at the high school level, and much more. This is "must listen" radio - take a listen above.
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