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I have a couple points on these issues.
- Rut is right regarding politics, he hit it dead on. Politics are going to exist in some form everywhere and a lot of it is a matter of perception. If you are one of the "good ol' boys" you probably don't see things the same way as the guy who feels held back. The key is to understand the situation and work within the situation rather than complain about it or even try to change it. A situation usually exists because most of the people accept it.
- Control what you can control. If you recognize that certain people don't like you or your game (which happens to everyone), find someone who thinks differently and work for that person. If you are in a situation where you can't find anyone who will give you any sort of a shot, you need to either move somewhere else or make changes in yourself. The only people who I have seen in this business who have been unable to get a shot from absolutely anyone are people who need to look in the mirror rather than at politics.
- One of the reasons the good old boys continually get big assignments is that they've proven dependable in the past to the assignor and are known to the coaches. An assignor can get himself in a lot of heat for putting someone who's not ready on a big game if something happens in that game, whereas his backside is covered if something happens in the game with the vets. One of the values of experience is proven reliability, which is a huge attribute to an assignor.
- As someone who's moved up fairly quickly, there's great advice on here about not rushing up the ladder. I was very eager to break into college quickly as it is somewhat competitive now with younger officials, and thought I was ready a year before I got in. I am glad that I took that year and my coordinator is breaking me in slowly because it means that I will be ready and able to handle things better. Coaches have long memories, as do assignors, and I've seen careers fizzle from rushing up too early.
- Don't take all praise literally. An easy way to think you're getting politicked out of games is if you go to a camp and they tell you you're the greatest thing since sliced bread and you hear all the talk about higher levels, then you go back to your small school V schedule or a mixed JV/V schedule in your association. The best thing about camp is the criticism and learning how to self evaluate to improve, but it's easy to start seeing stars and losing perspective. The easiest way to fail as an official IMO is to start being jealous of fellow refs and comparing yourself to them rather than focusing on improving yourself.
Sorry for the ramble, but this is my take on politics.
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