Criticizing officials has become a popular pastime

Three seconds doesn’t seem like a long time.

One thousand and one.

One thousand and two.

One thousand and three.

And there it is — three seconds gone and pretty much forgotten.

But when you think about it, a lot can happen in three seconds.

A life can begin and another can end.

A speed camera on I-680 can lighten your wallet by $100.

A movie plot can take a major twist.

In sports, games can be won and lost in seconds.

But also in sports, three seconds can seem like forever. A player can traverse the length of the court and get off a game-winning shot under the right circumstances.

And — if you’re a fan watching a high school game — an opposing player can park himself in the paint, make a sandwich, drink an iced tea and then get an entry pass and make a layup.

A layup the officials never should have let happen.

“Three seconds!”

“THREE SECONDS!”

A lot of basketball fans can’t tell time, but they can see the game better from Row Z — just ask them.

And the officials?

“YOU GUYS NEED GLASSES!”

But with the amount of money the other team clearly is paying these guys, they can afford those new prescription lenses.

“BETTER MAKE ’EM BIFOCALS, BUDDY!”

Sigh.

This is high school basketball everywhere you go. Boys or girls basketball, it makes no difference.

Pick a game. Any game.

The officials are blind. The guys on the other team are thugs. The girls on the either team are playing football.

And always, “THREE SECONDS!” and “OVER THE BACK!”

Only today, you’re likely to hear those terms spiced with colorful language.

I spent a lot of time in the bleachers or at the scorers’ table during my first 20 years in the business. The last 10 — as a sports editor — meant more nights in the office. Nature of the beast.

But with tournament games aplenty, I was able to take in a recent girls district final. And a few days later, my alma mater’s boys team was playing in a district semifinal and — with a timely night off — my daughter and a friend I’ve known for years went to watch.

I found I still love watching high school basketball. The fundamentals of the game and its beauty and rhythms still speak to me.

But I don’t remember so many referees sitting in the bleachers in 1985 or even 10 years ago. And the vulgarity — from middle-aged adults — was striking.

An announcement about treating players, fans and officials with respect is read before every game begins in Ohio, but it’s just lip service, because civility in the stands is as much on life support as it is everywhere else.

This season alone, the following happened:

A girls game in Akron ended in a fog of pepper spray thanks to unruly players and parents.

A Pennsylvania coach head-butted an official.

Here in the Valley, a father was thrown out of a junior high girls game.

Junior. High. Girls.

Maybe Donald Trump can fix this when he gets elected.

Wait. On second thought, don’t hold your breath.

Write Vindicator Sports Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @EdPuskas_Vindy.