One of the finer pleasures of officiating was being asked how much I was paid.

Perhaps I should have been a little more clear...my point was that I would not take a side job for $10/hr (which is not what I make when you deduct everything, it is probably closer to $8) even if it allowed me to exercise! $8/hr with exercise is not worth the time spent away from my family, the grief we deal with, etc, etc, if I didn't love the game....

Your point about volleyball for instance is valid, but more than the particular sport, I think it is the level that makes the difference - for instance I know guys who work 3-4 lower level (5-8th grade) games in the time it takes me to work one hs varsity game and they can walk out the door with more than 2X the money (and nowhere near the grief) that I do for the same time committment...maybe they don't love the game I don't know...but if you do this at a relatively high level you must love the game, b/c the money on its own isn't worth it and you can make more doing other things..

I work a lot of free games. When I do, I usually have an untrained partner and low quality basketball. When I charge $55 for a game, I get a great partner and high quality players. If you love the game, which would you pick?

Would do both...one for the satisfaction of helping someone who is starting out (as others have done for me) and one for the fact that the second game is hopefully a competitive high level game which I enjoy....the money is always secondary for me.....like I said if the money came first I would go work 100 jr high games/year and take half the crap for twice the money..I always tell people that the money is what keeps my wife off my back for being gone 30-40 nights/yr!:D

agreed

My monetary investment over the years:

1. camp for beginners = $250
2. two Jr provincial camps = $700
3. Phil Bova's camp at KSU = $300
4. two Sr provincial camps = $700
5. two national FIBA camps = $700
6. one provincial camp as evaluator = $150
7. Total for camps = $2,800

Conferences:

1. Approx. 7 provincial conferences @ $200 per
2. Total for conferences = $1,400

Clothing:

1. Shoes: about 6 pair x $60 = $360
2. Socks: about 20 pair x $8 = $160
3. Pants: about 10 pair x $55 = $550
4. Shirts: 7 pair x $36 =~ $280
5. Jackets: 2 x $60 = $120
6. Total for clothing = $1,500

But then there's also time spend at local meetings, etc. where we do not get paid.

Grand total spent = approx. $4,700. Which means it's probably $5,000 or more.

Then there's driving to games, etc...

How much have I been paid officiating for these years? Much more than $5,000, but counting the non-paid hours that I spend to better my abilities is often missed by many people.

I think without us, it's just recess.

Pass Go, Collect $200.00 ...
 

Next season will be the first season that our local board will charge a fee, I believe that it will be $50.00 for two hours, for scrimmages. I'm totally against this. Officials need scrimmages to get ready for the real season, so the school is actually providing a service to us by allowing us to do scrimmages, we're not at our best in scrimmages, and it generates a lot of good will between officials, and the coaches, players, parents, site directors, athletic directors, and school administrators. Surprisingly, this was not initiated by our local board, it was initiated by our state high school sports governing body. It was getting difficult in other geographic areas of the state, especially for other sports, to get officials for scrimmages.

We still provide "free" officials for a high school scholarship tournament, and for the Special Olympics Unified Games. I jump at the chance to do those games.

Why does Kobe and Lebron and the other couple hundred players get paid if "they love the game"?

I love my job I have but I wouldnt do it for free. And we don't insist on getting paid. We only take the jobs when they have pay attached to them. But I have never been given the option of work for free or get paid and had to choose one.

Forgive me, but this is BS.

I do it because it's a challenge to me. I don't really give a crap about the game other than I enjoy officiating it. I don't do it "for the kids" and certain not for the coaches.

Why is it so wrong for us to do it FOR OURSELVES?

We get paid for scrimmages. They are hiring me to work their scrimmages and since I am being hired to do a job, I should be paid for it. Do I accept less for more time? Sure. Would I do it for free? Not anymore, I wouldn't. Frankly, my performance during my first game of the year may not make me completely satisfied, but the coaches and players and fans wouldn 't be able to tell the difference.

Billy Mac I highly disagree with your wonderful feels good inside first paragraph. Doing 1 scrimmage DOES not make your READY for the season, especially if you have been doing games in the offseason (wreck ball not included). You should be ready once you suit up, if not this one game is not the cure all. Plus I don't see this "good will" being generated. It sounds good, but in reality its just simply platitudes that carry no weight.

Coach: You know you suck, but since you work a scrimmage at no charge in the beginning of the season I dont think you suck so much. In fact my good will towards you is starting to suffocate me.
Ref: Thanks coach I'm not going to T you up because I have scrimmage goodwill credits that I would like to use right now.
Parents: Man that sucky ref sure is nice for working that 1 game for free. It's really changed my opinion about all those old creepy men in striped shirts and their inability to see and call fouls for our team.
AD: Man that $50 you saved my sure helped us come in uder budget. You guys are really godsends.
Site directors: Man thanks for that freebie, I almost had break out my whistle and jump in, but hey im paid whether i sit and sleep or break a sweat.
school AD: WHo cares if they work a game for free -- they screw us everytime we lose.

Billy, don't take this personally, because from your posts I think you are a nice and positive person.

I completly agree -- pats on your back.

As a program director, I have encountered the attitude expressed in the OP from time to time, mostly when some complain about how much I choose to pay the officials for our 7th-8th grade rec program. ($25/game, games usually run 55 minutes as we use a running clock.)
My response has always been that I will pay what is needed to officials that will put forth a good effort, and help our league provide a positive, instructive environment.
I never have trouble locating qualified referees willing to call for us, and that is how I like it.

I use parents as volunteer clock operators, and that is enough of a train wreck some games, that I cannot imagine the ice cream pain-like sensations that would fill my brain if I had volunteer officials. :eek:

This is a great line. I might do it for free, at least more often, if it wasn't for the so-called crap. Gotta cover the cost of counselling!

But I also agree with Rich. I really started for the exercise, but quickly began to enjoy the challenge, and to appreciate other benefits that were JUST FOR MYSELF. And why is that a problem?

How is it bs when I agree with you? Don't misunderstand what I mean by "for the love of the game"...Saying I do it for "the love of the game" to me means that I do it b/c I love the game and take a lot of enjoyment from it...far different than doing it for the money...never said I do it for anybody but myself and my own enjoyment of it...I might do some things to give back to new officials, etc, but generally speaking I wouldn't do it if I didn't truly enjoy it b/c the money isn't enough reason on its own..