For the love of the game?

[Adam]

I can honestly say I wouldn't do this for free. I love the game, and I love kids, and all that blah blah blah. But if I wasn't getting paid, I'd find other ways to volunteer that didn't involve taking verbal abuse as part of the job description.

[SamIAm]

Originally Posted by Man In Blue

I was talking to a youth league president the other night and he asked me this question- "Why do officials need to be paid? Our BOD are all volunteers, our coaches are volunteers, scores, timers, etc are all volunteers, but not officials. If you guys are truly here for the love of the game, why do you insist to be paid?"

I told him the usual, rules study, professionalism, uniform costs, not my charity I give at work, etc. He said all of those thing are given by the other volunteers. He challenged me that being president of the league, he spent as much or more time during the course of the year as I did.

It did make the brown pop go down better but I am back to my trying to understanding the bigger picture grasshopper.

I officiate very seldom now, but when I was more active, I officiated for free. (However, they paid me to take the crap that goes with it.)

[ma_ref]

Originally Posted by SamIAm

I officiate very seldom now, but when I was more active, I officiated for free. (However, they paid me to take the crap that goes with it.)

Great line. I'm going to use it next time somebody complains that we get paid too much

[SamIAm]

Originally Posted by ma_ref

Great line. I'm going to use it next time somebody complains that we get paid too much

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

[Forksref]

If youth coaches coached "for the love of the game", why do they care so much about winning at all costs? If they would volunteer to teach kids and not yell at refs and model their teams after the pros (win at all costs), then we'd volunteer more.

I volunteer when I do the Shrine All-Star football game, not when I do mouthy elementary school level basketball coaches, players and fans.

Slow whistle and the others nailed it. I do it for the love of the game but I won't do it for nothing. It's a mix.

[Jim Henry]

Originally Posted by SamIAm

I officiate very seldom now, but when I was more active, I officiated for free. (However, they paid me to take the crap that goes with it.)

Sam

That is classic! LOL I'm going to use that one when a coach or someone at the table kids me about the "big bucks" I make as a ref.

[deecee]

Originally Posted by Man In Blue

If you guys are truly here for the love of the game, why do you insist to be paid?

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.

[Juulie Downs]

I officiated for free. (However, they paid me to take the crap that goes with it.)

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?

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Man In Blue

I was talking to a youth league president the other night and he asked me this question- "Why do officials need to be paid? Our BOD are all volunteers, our coaches are volunteers, scores, timers, etc are all volunteers, but not officials. If you guys are truly here for the love of the game, why do you insist to be paid?"

I told him the usual, rules study, professionalism, uniform costs, not my charity I give at work, etc. He said all of those thing are given by the other volunteers. He challenged me that being president of the league, he spent as much or more time during the course of the year as I did.

It did make the brown pop go down better but I am back to my trying to understanding the bigger picture grasshopper.

By all means, have him secure a pool of volunteers to officiate his games.

Get a volunteer assignor too.

Get back to me with the results.