Three D1 Refs Suing NCAA & Alliance Affiliated Leagues

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by LRZ

Experiences about accountability and reasonable environments vary widely, obviously, and let's not conflate school and travel/rec ball. My experience is that HS and MS coaches are held accountable, but travel/rec, not so much.

That is true, but I am not working in everyone's area. For one all high school games are under the jurisdiction from the IHSA or even the IHSAA where I live. So that means that if I give as much of a technical foul, someone might have to answer. And certainly, if I eject someone from a game there really is accountability as there is a report to be filed with the home offices. There is no such thing at any middle school game I would work. There is an IESA but that does not apply to all games in the state. So that is what I mean about accountability. If I work a middle school game there is almost never a larger organization or standard of behavior. The assignor might be the only line of defense.

Originally Posted by LRZ

I'd rather do a competitive 4th grade game (yes, there is such a thing) or MS game than a 60-point HS blow-out, especially when I feel like I'm contributing to the kids' game in ways that the typical overweight, over-the-hill or indifferent official can't or won't.

I would agree with that, but that never happens here. We have a 30 point mercy rule that applies in the 4th Quarter and it is rare that even happens. Again like I said I work only boys games, hardly ever had a game where the score is that out of hand. But I will say, have a greater chance of working with officials you describe at the lower levels. I rarely work a single high school game with someone that cannot work.

Originally Posted by LRZ

And, fortunately for me, with lots of HSs and MSs in the Philadelphia suburbs, I set a 20-mile limit on Arbiter and I still work as much as I care to.

That's my experience, and I won't generalize beyond that.

I work in the Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana. Schools are all over the place. I will never work a middle school game unless I am being helpful and someone needs a last-second replacement. But I work enough and would rather make real money that being a ho and getting excited that I made 75 dollars working two games. I have no tolerance for this. But this is my overall point, I do not have to. That is ultimately the reality in this situation.

Peace