Giving Game Fees back

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

If you feel strongly about this (I certainly would), simply advise him that you are unavailable to work that tournament and find something else to do that weekend.

That's what I was thinking. If your assignor asks you why, tell him that you can't afford a $50 shirt that you'll never wear again.

[IowaMike]

I don't work for free. The only time I have was a benefit basketball game for a kid who was fighting cancer, which is a completely different thing altogether. They are playing a tournament to make money and they want you to pay to work it? That's pretty ballsy in my opinion. I'd tell them no thanks and look elsewhere. As a previous poster noted, we all spend a lot of money on equipment, local and state association fees, and sometimes clinics as well. I do it because I enjoy it but I also consider it a part time job to earn some extra cash. If they can't afford to pay umpires, then they aren't doing a very good job of running their tournament. I don't know about the area where you live, but most assigners and schools in my area would be pretty hesitant to blacklist an umpire for refusing to kick back money to work a tournament, because they are pretty difficult to find anymore. There are a million places I can pick up games if I want to, so I'm certainly not going to work for free and would be even less likely to pay to work.

[johnnyg08]

It's hard to believe that an assigner thought his umpires would agree to buy in to a tournament...work can't be that hard to come by out there. I had a couple of umpires approach our assn asking to work a memorial game (free game) for a team who lost a player in a motorcycle accident last summer. I think for the guys who reach out for this...is admirable to say the least.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

It's hard to believe that an assigner thought his umpires would agree to buy in to a tournament...work can't be that hard to come by out there. I had a couple of umpires approach our assn asking to work a memorial game (free game) for a team who lost a player in a motorcycle accident last summer. I think for the guys who reach out for this...is admirable to say the least.

What team was that?

[johnnyg08]

Matt, PM me if you want details...the umpires have told me that they don't want to make a big deal of it.

[tballump]

Tuss

Good to see you are back. From all your previous posts, this semester should be the your last, and over or almost over. Must be nice to go to a school where Joe West and Drew Coble went and are in the school's athletic hall of fame. Were you able to finish in 4 or did it take longer?

To your question. Since you know that many assignors (no not all) have 50-100 schools and each school pays $200 for each of 10-15 sports to be assigned (2-3k per school) and are making 6 figures for this job, in addition to whatever they make at their "real job", I would have said the assignor is looking after his pocket. Many of these assignors also handle summer leagues for different sports also. However, you said that was not the case, but it just doesn't pass the smell test to me. If he loses business, you lose business.

That being said, if I have read your past post's correctly and your future can go as you would like it, and you have read up on your history concerning your future endeavor, as the good history major you are, this summer thing might just be the least of your worries concerning a decision to that must be made. The decisions that you will have to make down the road over these types of financial issues and situations and to work or not work could be much more challenging if history continues to repeat itself ever so many years if you get my drift. Good luck with whatever you decide (you could seek council from some veterans in your CT association and why it doesn't bother them on this current issue), and good luck in the future. Never park where it says umpires(bearef??might get rid of this). Enjoy NASCAR and hockey when you can.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

When my uncle (my late father's younger brother) died this past March, my sons told me that I was now "The Godfather" of the family. When they told me that I replied that if we were a Mafia Family, we should get a stimulus check from Uncle Sam because we are so lousy at being a Mafia Family, .

My point is, it sounds like the Tournament Director wants a kickback if you want to umpire and I would think that is racketeering under the RICO Act (see bribery or extortion, but probably bribery).

MTD, Sr.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

When my uncle (my late father's younger brother) died this past March, my sons told me that I was now "The Godfather" of the family. When they told me that I replied that if we were a Mafia Family, we should get a stimulus check from Uncle Sam because we are so lousy at being a Mafia Family, .

My point is, it sounds like the Tournament Director wants a kickback if you want to umpire and I would think that is racketeering under the RICO Act (see bribery or extortion, but probably bribery).

MTD, Sr.

Nope. RICO requires two predicate offenses.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Matt

Nope. RICO requires two predicate offenses.

Matt:

Spoken like true lawyer. But could we have just plain old bribery or extortion?

MTD, Sr.

[Steve87]

If they are asking to give back game fees or pay extra costs after the fact, then it’s tacky and wrong. I volunteer for a charity tournament every year; they give us t-shirts, food and drinks. It’s a fun time with my brother blues and it’s for a good cause, but I know I’m volunteering upfront.

[Cub42]

Sounds like to me that either the TD, Assignor, or a crony of theirs is in the uniform business. Most of us retalize that for NCAA or HS there are required uniforms. But we wear them all season not for one tournament. It is hypocritical to use the bad economy as an excuse to relieve the teams of some financial burden, yet throw it on the officials.

[Kevin Finnerty]

My experience with running travel tournament teams for many years shows that the parents of most travel ball players need much less of a break than the average umpire.