|
Its hard to argue that Texas is the King of fall Friday nights. I don't think a lot of folks that haven't lived down here AND traveled around the state realize how big it (the state) is. Yet in every corner of the state, football is huge.
Just some examples:
-- By and large, head football coaches are not teachers, they are an administrator so they can earn a higher salary than the teacher. 6 figures is now the standard at the top schools and there are likely districts where the HFC earns more than anyone in the district outside of the superintendent. Basketball coaches are almost always teachers.
-- I've worked basketball and volleyball in Texas over the past 20 years in addition to football. Its night and day how we are treated at football venues vs. the other ones. I can go in to the smallest school 1A game (1A is smallest public class) and they are there waiting for our crew. They take us to a dressing area, get us food, have drinks out, have our paperwork ready, and everything else. I'll go work a 5A (largest school class) district basketball game where the stands are filled where we have to ask for bottled water, or don't get anything at all. Plus, they also act at basketball games like they've never had one there before and say, "I'm not sure where we are putting the officials tonight; coach, do you know???"
-- This may not be totally unusual, but they pay for the entire chain crew at most Friday night games. We use first and second year officials on those crews and all of our crews have what we call a "6th man." He goes with us to all games and works the down box.
-- Spring games (intraschool) start up in a couple of weeks and most 4A/5A schools play them. This culminates 3 weeks of spring practice. The joke is that there are 2 sports in Texas: football and spring football. Honestly, spring football isn't all that big, as lower level schools don't participate in it, but the joke is pretty funny.
|