What's the big deal ?!

[M&M Guy]

Jealousy could be one answer. Or, perhaps the association members have had bad experiences with pro league refs "looking down" on them. Or, maybe this ref has been black-balled for some other reason, and he's just blaming it on his working a pro league. Who knows?

I have found though, for whatever reason, it's hard to talk about your accomplishments to people who have not met those same accomplishments and levels. It's easy to talk about varsity games to other varsity refs, but once you become a "college ref", and you start talking about it in you HS association, the "career HS refs" do tend to resent it; some more than others. Maybe the jump from college to pro isn't as great, and those refs already understand the issues involved of moving up, so it's not as big a deal to them. I have been to many college camps where they touch on this issue a little; for example, you don't want to go back to your HS association and say, "Well, in my college camp they said to do this..."

I don't know if going underground is the right answer, but don't talk about higher level games to your HS partners, or at your HS meetings. If your HS assignor offers you a game when you have a higher level game assigned, just say you can't work that night, you already have a game. I don't think you have to deny anything or be dishonest, but just don't mention it so you don't come across as better than the others.