Coaches Biggest Problem With New Rules ...

[SD Referee]

Originally Posted by SC Official

And according to him, we don't care about getting better or giving back by choosing to spend our time elsewhere.

Quite frankly, I don't owe anything to "the kids." Playing basketball is a privilege. If the kids' parents and coaches and the league directors run off all the officials, too bad.

Nice attitude you have. You sound like somebody that will only get on the court if you are paid. That's fine. Everybody is free to make their own decisions and do what they want. I like to volunteer and help out when I can. You don't have to.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by SD Referee

Nice attitude you have. You sound like somebody that will only get on the court if you are paid. That's fine. Everybody is free to make their own decisions and do what they want. I like to volunteer and help out when I can. You don't have to.

Nope, we’re required to do a couple free scrimmages is every year. I do the minimum and more if we’re in a bind. That doesn’t mean I have to think it’s right to work for free without volunteering. Nice try, though.

[UNIgiantslayers]

Why in the world would I take MORE time away from my daughter and not be compensated for it??? Who are all of these wonderful people who give up their weekend for free? Could this be a reason there is a shortage? We are expected to love it so much that we’ll do it for free? Count me as one of the shitty people on this board, I have NO interest in working another job for free. Yikes.

[SD Referee]

Originally Posted by UNIgiantslayers

Why in the world would I take MORE time away from my daughter and not be compensated for it??? Who are all of these wonderful people who give up their weekend for free? Could this be a reason there is a shortage? We are expected to love it so much that we’ll do it for free? Count me as one of the shitty people on this board, I have NO interest in working another job for free. Yikes.

Nobody said you are a shitty person or that you should do anything for free. You are free to decide what works for you and your family.

I suppose when you can choose from quite a few opportunities to work for free that are right down the road, the time into it isn't that much and that makes it more attractive for me and others. That's how it is for me.

I enjoy officiating and am always looking to get better. I don't view it as time away from my family, or doing a job for free. I have a career where I make money. This is a hobby that we get paid to do. Doing it occasionally for free is enjoyable for me. It doesn't have to be for you or anybody else. The tone some of you guys are throwing out there about working for free is ridiculous. Is it all about money for most of you or is it about giving up your free time?

Just so we are clear, NOBODY is a bad person for not working for free. This all started because someone made the statement they would never work for free. That's fine. You don't have to and I will occasionally. I think the skills and knowledge we have can be used to help out sometimes for free. That is all.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by SD Referee

Nobody said you are a shitty person or that you should do anything for free. You are free to decide what works for you and your family.



I suppose when you can choose from quite a few opportunities to work for free that are right down the road, the time into it isn't that much and that makes it more attractive for me and others. That's how it is for me.



I enjoy officiating and am always looking to get better. I don't view it as time away from my family, or doing a job for free. I have a career where I make money. This is a hobby that we get paid to do. Doing it occasionally for free is enjoyable for me. It doesn't have to be for you or anybody else. The tone some of you guys are throwing out there about working for free is ridiculous. Is it all about money for most of you or is it about giving up your free time?



Just so we are clear, NOBODY is a bad person for not working for free. This all started because someone made the statement they would never work for free. That's fine. You don't have to and I will occasionally. I think the skills and knowledge we have can be used to help out sometimes for free. That is all.

I have thoughts about why a few people volunteering to work for free is a bad idea, but I'll come back to that when I have more time.


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[SD Referee]

Originally Posted by Rich

I have thoughts about why a few people volunteering to work for free is a bad idea, but I'll come back to that when I have more time.


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I look forward to hearing back from you and getting a different viewpoint without getting yelled at or talked down to.

[UNIgiantslayers]

Originally Posted by SD Referee

Nobody said you are a shitty person or that you should do anything for free. You are free to decide what works for you and your family.

I suppose when you can choose from quite a few opportunities to work for free that are right down the road, the time into it isn't that much and that makes it more attractive for me and others. That's how it is for me.

I enjoy officiating and am always looking to get better. I don't view it as time away from my family, or doing a job for free. I have a career where I make money. This is a hobby that we get paid to do. Doing it occasionally for free is enjoyable for me. It doesn't have to be for you or anybody else. The tone some of you guys are throwing out there about working for free is ridiculous. Is it all about money for most of you or is it about giving up your free time?

Just so we are clear, NOBODY is a bad person for not working for free. This all started because someone made the statement they would never work for free. That's fine. You don't have to and I will occasionally. I think the skills and knowledge we have can be used to help out sometimes for free. That is all.

If I misinterpreted your tone as holier-than-thou, my apologies. No sarcasm there. To me, it came off as "you guys aren't willing to do this for free???????" Almost incredulous.

I enjoy doing this. I truly do. I should add in the qualifier of "most nights." But I work 4-5 nights a week of varsity games due to the shortage of officials in my area, and I'm just not interested in doing it for free. I did some free work a few years back when I was a new official, and I did not enjoy it. Coaches still treated us poorly, the kids didn't thank us, and the parents were just as bad.

I spend my summers trying to get better by going to a camp or two, working paid scrimmages, and enjoying my time off from teaching and coaching (to a certain extent). Maybe I just don't have a lucrative enough career to ref for free. Who knows. What I do know is that I value my time with my family much more than I value "giving back" to kids who don't thank me, coaches who act like jerks, and fans who don't know the rules. Maybe those involved act differently in your area but that's how it is here.

[SD Referee]

Originally Posted by UNIgiantslayers

If I misinterpreted your tone as holier-than-thou, my apologies. No sarcasm there. To me, it came off as "you guys aren't willing to do this for free???????" Almost incredulous.

I enjoy doing this. I truly do. I should add in the qualifier of "most nights." But I work 4-5 nights a week of varsity games due to the shortage of officials in my area, and I'm just not interested in doing it for free. I did some free work a few years back when I was a new official, and I did not enjoy it. Coaches still treated us poorly, the kids didn't thank us, and the parents were just as bad.

I spend my summers trying to get better by going to a camp or two, working paid scrimmages, and enjoying my time off from teaching and coaching (to a certain extent). Maybe I just don't have a lucrative enough career to ref for free. Who knows. What I do know is that I value my time with my family much more than I value "giving back" to kids who don't thank me, coaches who act like jerks, and fans who don't know the rules. Maybe those involved act differently in your area but that's how it is here.

My apologies. Definitely didn't want to come off like that.

I too work 4-5 nights per week of varsity action. It's not like I work a free game every week. A couple of times per year. A couple of camps in the summer.

Once again, it sounds like a lot of you guys have coaches, players, and parents that are just more disrespectful than what I have seen. That's too bad and I can see how it contributes to your decision of not working for free.

Thanks for the conversation!

[SD Referee]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Nope, we’re required to do a couple free scrimmages is every year. I do the minimum and more if we’re in a bind. That doesn’t mean I have to think it’s right to work for free without volunteering. Nice try, though.

Congrats on being forced to do free scrimmages. I'm sure people are excited to see you show up with your guns ready to fire should someone even dare look at you wrong.