Why do you do this

[refnrev]

Just came home from doing a game in the neighboring state where basketball is the #1 religion. My wife asked," How did it go?"
My answer: "The teams weren't very good. The coaches wanted every ticky tack foul and every call to go their way. Both coaches were mouthy and loud. One assistant was a royal pain in the butt and I T'd him up The fans from both sides were obnoxous. I also learned some things about myself -- I am blind, sleep through every game, every fan in the stands knows the game and rules better than I do and I think some one might have even suggested that my parents were not married when I was born. I think they believe the same qualities are true of my partner tonight.
She said. "Sorry it wasn't very fun tonight?"
Who said it wasn't fun?

[Edited by refnrev on Dec 9th, 2004 at 11:02 PM]

[dblref]

My wife told me that she believes I do this for the power. She said I have no power at home, very little power at work, and a lot of power on the court. She has put up with me for 37 years, so I guess she might be right. I do the games because I enjoy them.

[Back In The Saddle]

I read this to my wife and she got a good laugh out of it.

[zebraman]

I tell everyone that I was a real jerk to officials when I played in rec leagues in my 20-somethings. I had my choice of going to hell or taking my pennance by becoming an official. Tweet.

Z

[ref18]

What kind of job gives a 17 year old power over someone in their thirties to fifties???

That and university aint cheap

Now the real reason, I love it, I've always wanted to officiate, it just feels so natural, like I'm meant to ref



4 to go

[mick]

Originally posted by ref18
What kind of job gives a 17 year old power over someone in their thirties to fifties???

ref18,
[old man on soap box]
It's okay to think about it.
It's okay to privately joke about it.
But, I hope, this is the last time you would ever publicly hint or joke about it.
You wanna officiate? Maintain a professional posture as well as you are able.
[old man off soap box]

Good luck with those games.
mick

[refnrev]

Another thought. After listening to people in the stands for years, I've often wondered -- why do so many people named Homer decide to become referees? And why do visiting teams always get me or my partner confused with him?

[Adam]

I do this because of games like I had this past two weeks. Boys sophomores, 75-70 in OT. Frosh girls, 35-34 won by team that was down 21-8 at half time by a 3 point shot with 10 seconds left.

[ChrisSportsFan]

How is it that this game we officiate is one of the most popular sports in this country and yet so few know the rules to the game they love to play, coach and spectate? It amazes me that "some" parents will spend $2000-$4000 per year to send their kid to camps, league fees, club fees, uniforms, shoes and specialized training and not take the time to learn the rules. It seems that they could get alot more enjoyment out of it if they applied a little bit of understanding.

With all that said, sometimes I think I do this for the comedy factor.

[chayce]

Here is my answer:

Basketball is truly a place of high drama. It is a place where man vs man, man vs nature and man vs himself plays out with real characters under the full scrutiny of dedicated yet fickle fans. It is a place where no participant can hide, a place where winners and losers are distinctly labeled, a place where mistakes are magnified into misery and success becomes legendary! This place of athletic theatre requires the careful eye of one who will enforce the rules by which each participant must abide. Stepping onto this stage as an enforcer of rules puts you into one of life’s toughest roles: that of judge (a.k.a. official, referee). After all, why do you think they call it a basketball “court”?

An official just happens to hold the only enforceable view of how well the rules are being followed. If the whistle isn’t blown, there is no foul and a “walk” happens only when a referee gives the designated signal! Regardless of how angry or loud anyone else in the arena might be, the official’s opinion is the only one that truly is official. The thought of being in such tight control can be intoxicating but at times it can also be smothering. When your view is THE view, there is enormous pressure to be right…100% of the time! The sport and its participants certainly deserve nothing less than perfection.

Oh, my…expectations of perfection? Why would anyone even dream of taking a job that has no margin of error, no wiggle room, no tolerance of anything but being flawless? Who in their “right” mind would want a job with no forgiveness for being wrong? In this case, the very questions of who and why ultimately contain the answer. For an official, the pursuit of perfection is the game within a game that draws one to participate. Officials are tormented and teased by the mental and emotional challenge that grows from hunting something that has never been seen. The perfect game is as illusive as Nessie and Big Foot and it is the very reason that the search is so addictive.

The constant nagging in the back of a basketball official’s mind says, “There is no such thing as a perfect game.” It awaits confirmation on the first block/charge! When a referee steps out on the court, he/she is only a whistle away from the worst call some fan or coach has ever seen! The mind says, “You can’t always be right”, but the heart says, “If you work hard enough, the perfect game will come.” It is this life battle between heart and mind that officials live for.

Officiating is much like driving a bus filled with backseat drivers. Every move is second guessed, every decision questioned, and every explanation jeered…by someone. Yet, it is the insatiable desire to prove to everyone that you were right and have a much better chance of being right on the next call than they do, that keeps an official coming back game after game. The passion that officials have for the game comes from the desire to be perfect in an environment that would not recognize perfection even if it existed.




Many officials have careers outside of officiating that are colored by shades of gray. The decisions we make are designated okay, good, better, or best, illustrating that success sometimes comes in degrees. Officiating, however, has no middle ground; you are loved or hated, admired or despised, asked back or eternally uninvited. Everything is seen as good or bad, right or wrong, do or die. There is nothing quite like being a basketball “judge”. When you make the right decision, there is little fanfare because, after all, that is what you are getting paid for. When your judgment fails you, the perfect game once again slips away into hiding and those in the gallery voice that reality with gusto. Right or wrong, a judge must always make a decision and to be considered successful, a basketball official must possess the wisdom and strength to declare guilty or not guilty under the microscope of everyone present: fans, players, coaches, and partners. Ultimately, it is for them that we call the game and unveil the verdict!