I work football and basketball. I think they complement each other well. Football is much more difficult as far as mastering the rules but it's easier to officiate than basketball. You work one position for the entire game and repeatedly do the exact same things over and over again.
Certain things carry over from FB to BB. 3 examples:
1- You have a specific area of the field to work, even moreso than basketball. When the play goes to the opposite side of the field, my whistle drops out of my mouth. No reason for me to blow if the balls 30 yards away. Of course, I have to keep an eye on any players still on my side of the field. Obviously, that carries over to BB.
2- In football, the whistle doesn't go into your mouth until the ball is snapped. As I said, if the play goes the other way, you let it drop. I think that's help me learn to wait an extra second before blowing the whistle in BB. But it's tough, in November, to remember to keep that whistle in your mouth when you've been holding it in your hand or just letting it drop for the previous 3 months!
3- I work the sideline as a line judge. The home coach is usually in my ear, but in a different way than a BB coach is. They're usually asking questions or asking for an rule interpretation. I think working the sideline has helped me learn to deal with BB coaches and be more approachable.
I'll be starting my third season with the same crew this fall. The comraderie that you develop with the same 5 guys working together every Friday night is unique. You're a crew. There isn't a better crew. What happens in the crew stays in the crew. You don't speak badly of anyone on your crew. You don't tolerate anyone else talking badly about someone on your crew. But more than anything else, it's a lotta fun!
WHEW! That was long!
