Quote:
Originally Posted by TopicalTropical
... who might be doing their 10th game of the day.
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Lingchi (Chinese: Death by a thousand cuts).
Even many, many years ago when I was younger, lighter, and faster, I probably wouldn't be able to do more than three, or four games without compromising some of my running, and positioning. Even if I could get past the physical challenges of doing more games, I know that the mental challenges of concentrating on the game would start to suffer after three, or four games.
When I first started I would do three local high school age recreation games every Monday, and Wednesday night (usual off nights for Connecticut high school basketball). I did them for the money (my three kids were college bound) and for the experience. I treated these games like any of my high school games, and I found that by the second half of the third game I was physically, and mentally, exhausted, just looking at the clock to see when I would be able to go home.
Sure I could do ten games if I could just hang around as the trail at the division line, never run up as the new trail, never switch on fouls, and pick and choose what I would call, or not call, based on my mood, the score, the kids, etc. It wouldn't be pretty, and I wouldn't be proud of myself, which is why I would never do it. Never. Ever. I have way too much pride in my officiating skills to do such a thing.
But I also understand that some guys really need the money to make student loan payments, car payments, credit card payments, rent, mortgage, etc., or maybe they owe a coaching friend, or an assigner, a favor, making it almost impossible to say no.