Quote:
Originally Posted by Raymond
I'm going to attribute a vast majority of the increase to folks in my category, didn't officiate in 2020-21, but came back in 2021-22 as well as new officials who deferred entering the avocation to 2021-22.
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I agree. There was no mass increase in new officials. It was exactly as you said...some of the people that skipped 2020 came back. 2021 was still way down for most areas in most sports.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raymond
I'm willing to bet next scholastic year (2022-23) will be either even or a decrease with a lot of veterans who came back this past season realizing they enjoyed time at home better than they enjoyed all the jerkish fans, parents, and coaches.
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You may be right on the end result, but I think it might be due to a different cause (or a combination of the causes).
I think you might lose people that stayed around all along as well as those that came back, but not because they liked being at home.
I think the bigger impact will be burnout. In 2021-22, we had a similar number of games as in the past but did them with about 15-20% fewer officials. As a result, everyone is working more games per season than they ever have. That is taking its toll on a lot of officials. Those that would have several more years left may hang it up because it just isn't fun any more with so many games.
If the issues (both understaffed and environmental stress) don't get fixed, the burnout effect is going to get a lot worse.