Yelled at, spit on and insulted: Inside the life of an NBA ref

....Dr. Joel Fish, a sports psychologist and director of the Center for Sport Psychology in Philadelphia, has worked with NBA referees and says the unique setting of their workplace leads to a cumulative level of stress that can have both short-term and long-term implications. "We`re not talking about the kind of stress that goes away after a good night`s sleep,`` Fish says.....

....."These people are humans, not robots,`` Fish says. "They have feelings. So we work on identifying what might set them off and how they can avoid that from happening. It`s almost like a rehearsal, so when they are challenged, it`s nothing they haven`t anticipated.

"Sometimes it`s a matter of positive self-talk. The fans are yelling, `Ref, you suck!` and the referee is thinking, `I`m having some self-doubt.` So you work on getting him or her to a point where they can say, `I trust myself.`".....