Van Gundy fined for comments about playoff officiating

[Mark Dexter]

Originally posted by Goose

Most D1 people I know are self employed. The ones that aren't in many cases get leaves of absences from their jobs. Years ago, a top D1 official was put under the microscope up in Syracuse because he would leave his "day" job for 6 months, which became problematic because it was affecting other departments. So, to be a top flight D1 official, I would guess that they have to give up their regular jobs just to make their schedules since many work 4-5 times per week. Most regular joes like myself are not self employed, nor own the company, and therefore cannot meet the demands of being on site 4-6 hours before game time.

Maybe it's just the A-10, but I've never seen a college official show up 4-6 hours before game time.

Also, as odd as their schedules may be, a lot of D-I officials enjoy their 'day jobs.' Obviously, it can be difficult to manage, but the 'big guys' generally hold a job and ref. I've worked (both in basketball and in the office setting) with a D-I ref from DC who does mainly Big Ten games - he has worked it out with his employer, and has a job that allows him to come in at any time, just as long as the work gets done.

While I certainly don't anticipate myself ever getting a major D-I schedule, I've certainly kept basketball officiating in the back of my head when planning out a career. It's certainly a doable thing.