Rich's area - Is it time to drop the 3-man officiating crew?

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

Well, we also know the majority of guys on this forum aren't "in it for the kids", so there's that.

Although "being in it for the kids" is a noble sentiment, I realize that I do not actually agree with that idea. College officials and professional officials are not "in it for the kids" by definition because the competitors in their games are adults. In addition, professional and (some) college officials have officiating as their main source of income, so any idealistic expressions such as the above are mere rationalizations.

Was Ed Hochuli really "in it for the kids" when he started his officiating career as a law student working Pop Warner games to make a few extra bucks? Did Joey Crawford or Zach Zarba start their basketball careers "for the kids"?

Some officials do want to give back to the athletes whose games that they officiate, but many officials are in the game for other reasons. Thus, "for the kids" is just a rationalization used to guilt-trip high school officials into accepting certain sacrifices that they would not otherwise want to make. College basketball went 3-person a long time ago, at least on the men's side, and shows no signs of there being a remote desire to change back to 2-person. Maybe this was because there was no false idealism in college basketball officiating.

Personally, although I do give high school and recreational games that I am assigned to maximum effort and attention possible, I am not in it "for the kids", because I look to pursue higher-level opportunities in officiating. This is because I have enjoyed my officiating experience so far, and wish to continue it for as long as I am able to run up and down a field/court.

[#olderthanilook]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

Some officials do want to give back to the athletes whose games that they officiate, but many officials are in the game for other reasons.

I'm "in it" for both of these reasons - give back to the kids/community and other (i.e. extra income, staying active, being around the game). TBH, though, I probably wouldn't do it for any reason if I wasn't getting compensated.

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

I'm "in it" for both of these reasons - give back to the kids/community and other (i.e. extra income, staying active, being around the game). TBH, though, I probably wouldn't do it for any reason if I wasn't getting compensated.

I would agree with you on that. Unless I'm doing Special Olympics or another event for charity, I would not do games for free. I might also ask a reduced fee for doing 3-person in a normally 2-person game (if there is a limited budget to pay for officials otherwise), but I would otherwise not work games for no fee. I would also choose to not work 2-person varsity games whenever possible, because 2 person is not an adequate system for covering varsity games.

[SD Referee]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

I'm "in it" for both of these reasons - give back to the kids/community and other (i.e. extra income, staying active, being around the game). TBH, though, I probably wouldn't do it for any reason if I wasn't getting compensated.

You said exactly how I feel.

Would I go out on the road and be away from my kids 40-50 nights per season if I didn't get paid? No, but I do enjoy officiating. Therefore, I am willing to accept lower pay from areas that pay less. I don't worry about my check being $5 less if somebody messes up. The amount of money I get means nothing to me. I know the pay is going to be between $XX and $XXX, depending on where I am going that night.

I do like to "do it for the kids" to some small degree. Mostly, I like the little bit of extra money that I make to put in my kids' college funds. I love the exercise and I love being around other officials and coaches. Some of those people I only see during basketball season. I loved playing ball growing up, but my competitive desire to play no longer exists. That has been replaced by my love of officiating and the desire to stay around the game. These are the reasons I go out and do it.