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Originally Posted by JRutledge
Mark,
Some of the best officials in the country are working HS games only. Not everyone is interested in making the jump to work college or pro. It takes a lot of sacrifice to make those jumps and there are not enough slots for everyone that you or I would consider to be the best.
Why would someone that makes 6 figures working basketball, then another 6 figures working their regular job want to take around $80,000 and with very little job security? A lot of college officials have very good jobs and work college basketball. They get to control their own schedule (they are independent contractors). They get to right a lot of their expenses off their taxes (because it is their business to officiate) and if you have gotten to the level of a Ed Hightower, Steve Welmer or Jim Burr, you are more known in the officiating community than most of the NBA staff. Why would someone want to give all those things up so they can work a year or two in the NBA and if they make one call you do not like, they will not have a job the following year. Now do not get me wrong there is a lot of money at stake at the college level and officials can lose their jobs there, but there are many more games around the country to work and if one conference does not want an official, there are others they can work for. If the NBA does not like you, there is no other place to go at that level.
Look Mark (if this is really you) you have done nothing but complain about the officiating and the system the entire time you have been in the league. You have complained publicly about the staff and I am sure you have voiced your concerns about specific officials to the league. You claimed that certain officials were up to a standard and others were not. Now if you get rid of those guys, where do they have to go? You expect these officials that have never worked a single college game (which is the case with some of the NBA staff) to all of a sudden pick up games at the D1 level? The NBA game is a different game. Many of the officials that got to the NBA did not through HS, college than the NBA to work the NBA. It is not how the NBA chooses officials and is a reason you do not see a lot of officials trying to work NBA games.
Mark you seem like a bright guy and you have made a lot of money in business. Officiating is not like other businesses you have been involved in. Not everyone has the time or energy to work the NBA as an official. Even if you picked a guy that worked just HS, they would have to completely learn the NBA way because the mechanics, rules and philosophies are completely different and would take years to get a hold of as an official. It is a big jump for some of us to when we work a HS game as compared to a small college basketball game. I just do not think you understand the system and if you think you are going to have a NBA officiating staff of the very top 60 then you are not being realistic. Many of the officials that could work the NBA eliminate themselves from working the NBA.
Peace
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thanks for the feedback. Im trying to understand what it would take to get the best 60. I realize that officiating college games offers a lot more flexibility and personal time. Just curious how its perceived. Whether officials view it as the pinnacle of their profession or not.
if not, as it appears to be, then thats our fault and we have to make things better.
And for what its worth, i have never gotten anyone fired. In fact, the 1, and only 1 person they fired for quality of work, I didnt think should be fired and that was 5 years ago.