Blake Austin is a professional rugby player in Australia. Back in August, as he was playing for the Canberra Raiders, a fan decided to spit in the direction of a referee, which caused the fan to be ejected and receive a 12-month ban from the stadium. Austin went on record denouncing the act.
"I think everyone needs to respect the referees a little more. We can't have games of footy without them. But that act is certainly not on and that's someone's father and someone's son. I certainly wouldn't want anyone spitting on me as I'm coming off the field. As a club we don't support that at all."
Now, translate that to every sport, and think about how most sports cannot exist without officials.
That Blake Austin is a smart dude.