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

[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 That has been replaced by my love of officiating and the desire to stay around the game.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.