Coaches Biggest Problem With New Rules ...

[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.