assessement fee

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by zebraman

Like I said, I don't have time for that. I just fill out my availability and then my schedule is filled by our assignor. Simple one-stop shopping. I don't have time to deal with several phone calls or e-mails. My time is more valuable than the assigning fee I pay.

All I do is send availability sheets to those that request them or return email from those requesting games for the next year. Not sure that takes a lot of time. It is also not unusual that I get called to work games and fill my schedule. All I have to do is answer the phone. I just got 2 games today and I did not even know they were coming. If your name is listed with an organization or you are well known, assignors call you. I do not have to pay anyone to simply answer the phone or respond to an email.

Originally posted by zebraman

Why does it not surprise me that you do not care if others get offended. Just more ignorance. All the officials I talk to around here prefer to have their expenses deducted from their check at the end of the year. I prefer it that way too. Any expenses I pay to my association are well worth it.


Z

I did not see you so concerned about my opinion on some words I felt were out of line. But then again, I did not expect you to either. You basically called me names and questioned my value to this site. Now you want me to get all teary eyed because I used a phrase that not only I have the right to use, but describes your system perfectly in my opinion? Beatings were not the biggest part of slavery. I think you watched too many Roots reruns. Slavery was about control and taking advantage of people. That is what that fee seems to do in my opinion. Do you know what “my opinion” means?

Of course you are not going to find many people that do not like the system. If they do not know any better, they will go with the herd of sheep and not make waves. You have the right to spend your money they way you like, that does not mean the rest of us have to say it is a good idea. It is obvious that I am not the only one that feels that way. Just read the other posts.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally posted by zebraman

I have seen many studies on referee shortages and I have never seen where "slaves to the association" or "assigning fees" have been listed as a reason.

I find it very worth it to pay my association to deal with schools in getting games and also in getting paid. I would hate to have to deal with individual AD's to solicit games. My time is much to valuable to be used in that way.

By the way, I find the term "slave" offensive so please find a better way to express your meaning. I joined my association quite voluntarily and I have the choice of officiating or not. I do not get beaten if I choose not to officiate. Your use of the term is in very poor taste.

Z

[Edited by zebraman on Mar 29th, 2005 at 02:52 PM]

I've lived in both places where I've been forced to join a specific association and in places where I solicit games directly from commissioners and athletic directors.

Unlike Jeff, I've had to work hard at filling my schedule the past three seasons. Moving to a new state means that nobody knew me and I had to send letters, send emails, etc.

But the benefit has been this -- I took a few JV dates my first season in the state to get seen. I've worked one JV game the past two seasons. I have 38 varsity dates booked for next season. Compare that with an association I joined in another state -- I had to work a JV schedule for almost 2 seasons and then was lucky to be assigned 15 varsity dates the third season. Whether I got a full schedule was not entirely in my own hands.

Next season will be my third football season here and second as a crew chief/white hat. My crew is completely booked for 2005 and 2006. In another state I worked one varsity game my second year with the group and would've likely received a half-schedule my third season.

But now that my schedules are full, it's up to me to continue to perform on a high level to keep my schedules.

Three seasons ago, I was complaining about not having an assigning association. Now I'm not sure I'd want someone else to have so much control over how often and what games I work.

[zebraman]

Originally posted by JRutledge

I did not see you so concerned about my opinion on some words I felt were out of line. But then again, I did not expect you to either. You basically called me names and questioned my value to this site. Now you want me to get all teary eyed because I used a phrase that not only I have the right to use, but describes your system perfectly in my opinion? Beatings were not the biggest part of slavery. I think you watched too many Roots reruns. Slavery was about control and taking advantage of people. That is what that fee seems to do in my opinion. Do you know what “my opinion” means?

Of course you are not going to find many people that do not like the system. If they do not know any better, they will go with the herd of sheep and not make waves. You have the right to spend your money they way you like, that does not mean the rest of us have to say it is a good idea. It is obvious that I am not the only one that feels that way. Just read the other posts.

Peace [/QUOTE]

Another manifesto. Yowsah.

Z

[JRutledge]

Stop being a little baby. I thought you did not like anything I said? Why do you keep responding when you think I have no value to this board?

Peace

[dblref]

Northern VA (Cardinal Basketball Officials Association) - we pay 10% of all game fees (scholastic & rec) plus annual dues of $15 (I think). The dues covers insurance and state dues plus something else I can't remember.

We do not book our own games. All of my assignments come from either the scholastic commissioner or the rec commisioner. Works fine for me. For rec ball, we get paid for the spring season, summer season, and fall ball (at the end of each season). For scholastic, I get a lump sum check sometime in the mid-May early June timeframe. Makes for a nice vacation check.

[zebraman]

Originally posted by JRutledge
Stop being a little baby. I thought you did not like anything I said? Why do you keep responding when you think I have no value to this board?

Peace

You are right. It is pointless. My policy of not responding to you is hereby reinstated.

Z

[Tim C]

Here we buy the NFHS packet. Along with that packet is our association fee. The total for the packet is $75.

Officials then pay 13% of each game fee to our assigning commissioner. Schools and league also pay for his performance.

We are one of the lowest paid states for all official fees. Fuel costs in our state are also very high (that is because similar to New Jersey we DO NOT HAVE self serve stations and along with one of the highest minimum wage rates in the us) and in the central and eastern part of the state crews drive 200 miles (one way) to game sites.

You don't work to make money in Oregon.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by zebraman


You are right. It is pointless. My policy of not responding to you is hereby reinstated.

Z

Your life will be happier now.

Peace

[Ref in PA]

The schools pay the assignors (not sure how much) and the assignors will use referees from multiple associations. We pay the State an annual fee of $35 (I think) per sport to remain a certified official. I pay $55 each year to my association in dues - this year we got a shirt and a banquet (and a lot of bickering about how to spend the money) from our dues. The Schools pay us directly, so we keep all that. I am pretty sure the rest of PA works that way also. The trick here is to get in front of the assignors to prove to them you can ref. The more you know, the fuller your schedule will be.

For Playoff games, the State pays you a couple of months after the fact.

[LepTalBldgs]

I'm in one of the assocations in Los Angeles. We pay $65 for association dues in October/November.

The schools within a geographic reason are forced to use the corresponding association. I do not know if the schools pay our assignor. The assignor and their committee have total control over our assignments.

We receive a check from the individual schools just prior to tip off.

When the assignments are given out we pay the assignor $3 for each game. If that game is scheduled and then cancelled we do not receive a refund.

We receive $45 for freshman through JV games and $56 for varsity games. We do not receive any mileage reimbursement until playoff games are assigned.

Our unit assigns over 1,700 games during the high school year. You can decide if the $3 fee is worth it to be the assignor.

[IowaMike]

I work in eastern Iowa/Western Illinois and basically book my own games directly with the school AD or am assigned them by a league commissioner. I get virtually no games through my association, it's main function is really training, rules meetings etc. If games are assigned by a league commissioner, I believe the schools pay them a fee for their services. I like it this way, I pick where I want to work and when. Doesn't take that much of my time to get a schedule together. Once the school AD's get to know you they send you an availability sheet prior to each season, or sometimes will call you, and you just let them know the dates you are available. Other than the dues I pay to the state high school association each year, that is it for me. I think paying someone 10-13% of my game fee is outrageous. I also get paid for all of my games either on the night I work or within no less than one week later. I can't imagine not getting paid until the end of the season. No way would I go work a JV/Varsity double for $80.00 and pay some clown $8.00-$10.00 for sending me a contract. I think that the five minutes it takes me to fill out an availability form or talk to someone on the phone is worth saving the money. Also, if you are paying the assignor out of your game fee, are you paying taxes on his cut too?

[Tim C]

Our 1099 is the amount we were paid by the school. Therefore we do not pay taxes on the Commish's share.

We have "pay days" -- in Oregon we do not get paid at game time nor do we get paid at the end of the season. We get paid about 12 times a year (that is Fed spring and Legion Summer schedules).

And Mike, being a freind of Rich Fronheiser (see his post above) I will gladly pay someone to assign games in my sport (baseball) where there are numerous rain outs and games changes during a season.