OT: Question for the Local Refs
Hey everyone, I am strongly debating working as a basketball ref on the side to make some money, probably doing some rec leagues or something lighter to start. I'm not sure if/when it will happen. Just wanted to ask everyone around here that has refed, and more specifically maybe done basketball, what it was like for you.
Is it worth the headache for the 75-100 a night you work?
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The parents are crazy and (at least as far as soccer refs are concerned) your IQ and vision will drop precipitously.
I always thought rec would be more fun than high school as there probably is a lot less pressure, no?
Rec League is worse. You have a bunch of old guys trying to recaptrue their glory years and no coach to keep them reeled in. It is physical, dirty, and not worth it when you have a bunch of old guys not being able to let go of the game.
I have been officiating for 10 years. You have to have thick skin and be able to laugh. Most of the fans and some coaches do not even know the rules.
I laugh at the fans all the time, because they do not know the rules and say a lot of very dumb things. Even some coaches make fools out of themselves.
My favorite from this past season was a Freshman girls coach yelling at me everytime down the floor to call fouls both ways.
I looked over at the coach and said, "Coach if you look at the scoreboard we have called 10 fouls on the other team and only 2 fouls on your team, if you want me to start calling it both ways I will start whistling your team for more fouls." Needless to say he did not say another word to me the entire game.
I'm a swimming official, so I can't really speak to the headaches that come with dealing with whiny athletes, overbearing parents, or obnoxious fans. But I don't make enough money officiating for earnings to be the major motivation for doing it. Working on average 3 nights a week for the 3 month season, I only net ~$1,500 after taxes. Maybe that's a big enough number for you, but when you consider all of the time, effort, and expenses I put into it, the hourly rate is pretty low.
I recommend refereeing if you love the sport, want to contribute to its growth, and, to an extent, be involved in the community. For me, its a more a hobby than a source of income.
Most people were pretty respectful. Frat guys were the worst. Overall if you own up to messing up a call everyone stays relaxed (as long as it’s not more than once a game).
I reffed IM football, broomball, and one game of basketball.
Broomball was the most fun.
For football I found the grad students to be far worse than the frats. Frats were competetive and could be controlled with early penalties for unsportmasn like conduct.
The only game I had to stop completely was for two grad student teams getting in a fight. Racial slurs (for Irish and Jewish) were thrown around more the football.
I quit basketball after one game because I was so bad that I didn't want to expose my terrible reffing to anyone else.
and I can tell you that the pay is phenomenal.
A Staee trustee assaults you after the game for calling T's on him that costs their team the game?
Edit: Like the guy 2 posts down said....
what your goals are. I still umpire fast pitch softball and love it. But every game you officiate, I don't care what level, offers the challenge of making the right call in a contest with an emotional interest of somebody directly or indirectly involved, either as a player, coach or spectator, friend or family.
Once you understand your role, learn how to officiate and that your real job is game management (whatever that requires), and not performing for anyone including yourself, then you can handle any assignment no matter the challenge.
I started out in Ann Arbor, and the city's rec department had some great people who helped guide me in basketball and umpiring both softball and baseball when I started in the 90's. Having the university there, enriches offciating opportunities, because basketball can be a year-round work experience with offseason high school and college camps, rec games and AAU ball.
Find good mentors, good partners and assignors to work with regularly whom you can depend on, treat assignments professionally, learn from the good and bad experiences you will assuredly encounter, and you will thrive and enjoy the opportunity. There are many great professionals in the officiating game, and Michigan is great hotbed for basketball. It's not for everyone. And your experience will become like anything else whatever you make it and have the makeup to tolerate and appreciate. Remember, you are only as good as the confidence you demonstrate on the court, and the only person you can depend game in game out, is your partner.
Just dpn't ref any games that MSU Trustee Mitch Lyons is attending. He's on trial for assauling a ref at a middle school girl's basketball game.
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2018/05/msu_trustee_assaulted_referee.html
I've coached swimming (which I know well) and soccer (which I know very little) in youth programs. Focus on tamping down dangerous play.
I think most people can keep a sense of humor about "blown calls." It's just a game; we're here to have fun, etc. (Especially if the official keeps a sense of humor about him/herself.)
When I've seen people get really fired up is when they think the officials are letting dangerous play go. One hour after the game, I don't give a rip about the score, but if I think you let my kid get a preventable concussion, that's a different matter.
My one season of coaching youth soccer I only got mad once. I thought the other team's tackling technique was dangerous and illegal. My much more soccer-wise co-coach assured me that what they were doing was a well coached, legal technique. I was reassured.
Doing basketball because that is what I play the most. But I know/love soccer as well, and maybe I could be wrong, but I feel that would be a little less stressful than bball.
All of these people jumping in telling you not to do are really bumming me out. I've been an official for 20 years doing football, baseball, and basketball on and off through the years.
If all of stop doing it the only people it is going to hurt are the kids. Yes, the parents and coaches can be annoying but more often than not I leave my games feeling good about what happened.
I find officiating to be a ton of fun and a great way to get a little exercise and be part of the sports world. We are in desperate needs of officials, I would encourage you to give it a shot.
I will say that basketball is the toughest one I've done. The fans are right on top of you, the game is very hard to officiate well, and the coaches all want to ride you like Tom Izzo. However, I still think it is worth it.
Football is the best, if you're interested in getting involved in football let me know.
I've been somewhat discouraged from reading the comments on here, and that is why I asked I suppose. I just wanted to know what the experiences have been.
I can tell you I'm on the "dont do it" side of the equation. I watched my then 14 year old son umpire 9 year olds and the crap parents would say was unbelievable. I had to go to the games with him cause some of them were so crazy he was scared to call balls and strikes.
I remember one parent I went up to after listiening to him berate my son for a couple of innings (his little precious struck out twice and he was pissed at one of the called strikes) and I had to tell him to settle down and I let him know that despite all the hours he had invested in his future HOF son and despite all the hours in the batting cage and all the wasted summer weekends playing travel baseball his little boy wasnt very good at baseball (yet) and he wasnt helping him any screaming at a 14 year old ump for the entire game. His face turned purple and I honestly thought he was going to swing on my but the fact I was abou 6 inches taller and 100 pounds heavier made him rethink that plan. And he was only the most idiodic dad - there were LOTS of others.
The sad truth is most parents nowdays have invested so much time and so much money in kids sports they feel they are somehow "owed" a return on that investment and the officials are keeping them from their desired outcome. Not their kid (heavens no) but those mean old officials who had a meeting apparently on which 9 year old team they want to screw over this week.
Dont do it.
Paragraph is perfectly accurate...amazing how many believe their kid is D-1 capable and it's our job to facilitate their process.
I believe I read in another thread you are a Sigma Chi? As am I.
HH
Theta Theta class of 81 my brother.
Theta Theta 79. In Hoc
We probably met at some point. I rushed fall of 1980 (was a transfer from CMU) but knew most of the outgoing actives by picture at least. My late cousin Carl was the house alumni director during the dark days we were booted off campus and was one of the guys who worked the hardest to get us reinstated.
Did you go to the house rededication ceremony when we came back on campus by any chance?
And FWIW I was the rush chairman in 1981 so I was at least partially responsible for getting that shit-for-brains a bid who shot out the windows at west quad with a pellet gun that caused all the problems for us with the university.
One last thing. Did you hear/remember abou the Delta Phi and the cat burning incident that took place in our parking lot the year after you graduated? I was the "passerby" who discovered it in the tree and called the police on those inhumane fuckers.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1980/3/21/students-sentenced-for-cat…
We probably have...I did go to the rededication, actually took my oldest daughter that weekend. Did hear about the cat burning incident, and good for you for doing something about it. Graduated December 79, so not there when you rushed...one of your '81 brothers who is a fairly prominent Judge and I are still close, and I am back for 3-4 games a year in the fall.
I am glad we are back on track, can't say I am thrilled with all the old architecture inside being changed due to building codes, as I loved that front staircase and all the openness upstairs as well. If you were at rededication on Friday night, I think there was a group shot taken...are you in it?
I was there Saturday also, but lots more there that day than Friday evening. The judge is one of the best men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Checked Sig online directory, and only 1 '81 was not in the house already by the time I left...
Being a basketball referee has to be one of the toughest jobs there is (some sarcasm in there, of course, but you know what I mean). I have to imagine being a referee for a little league is really hard, too. Some parents take that shit way too far.
I've reffed both rec and HS basketball (Freshman/JV) for the past 3 years. The sport is definitely in need of good people to ref. I agree with previous posters that its all about what you're in it for. If you need some extra money, it can be a fun way to earn some. I tend to laugh when people yell something from the stands or even coaches some times. They don't know most of the rules. However, I can count on one hand the games that were truly "out of hand" that I didn't enjoy reffing. Most of the games go smoothly as long as you have thick skin.
I find it a fun way to stay involved in a game I love, make a few extra dollars and also get some exercise at the same time. But it all depends on how much time/effort/money you want to invest in it. That will determine what you get out of it.
In short, if you have a love for the game and want to try to provide a fair environment for the players, please do it. The average age of officials is getting higher every year, and we need new blood. Over the past 20 years I have done 15 of high school and club soccer and 15 of middle school and high school basketball. I do not do soccer any longer (the field got really big as I got older) and am dual licensed for basketball in Wisconsin and Michigan.
I echo many of the same positive stories and sentiments described above. We have all experienced coaches and fans who are difficult, those who are reasonable, and games where fantastic displays of sportsmanship were demonstrated and those where we had to invoke rules to control it. It has been a worthwhile experience for me, and I got involved because i wanted to help provide a fair and safe environment for the kids to enjoy a game. If your goal is to help the game and help provide positive experiences for the kids, sign up immediately. Join a local ref association that provides some additional training and rules clarification and provide you with some games.
Community ed leagues or CYO, where teams are usually 3/4 grades or 5/6 grades. Sure, there is some chirping from coaches (and perhaps more from certain parents), but it really isn't too bad, and you get a chance to really help a number of kids (who are literally there to have fun) learn the game of basketball (as opposed to AAU, which is obviously a step up and very competitive).
Realize as a ref, you set the tone. Say something to the coaches like, "My partner Joe and I will do our best to keep the game flowing and be clear in our rulings. If there's something you think we missed, let us know, but be respectful and we'll discuss." Then let them know any points of emphasis from the league (e.g., hand-checking).
Then get the kids together before tip and say, "OK, we're here to have fun, get better, and compete hard at a great game, basketball. If you have a question, ask, but be respectful to us and the other team. Let's go!"
It's a good way to stay in shape, stay in the game, make a little cash, and help out the community. Do it if you have the time.
i'm sure the comments about people making your life difficult are right, but there are other considerations. Namely, it's a good way to get some exercise. It's a great way to support youth sports. Maybe a little extra money. Also, it's a great outlet for people to combine their interests in athletics and precision, fairness, justice, and sportsmanship. In other words, if your mind acts like a judge and your body acts like an athlete, you might get a lot of satisfaction out of it.
My father in law ref'ed high school basketball for 30+ years, he says the talking back definitely got worse, but there's a great need for refs and the key is to Sell the Call. Put on a big display when you make a call and be convincing.