For the love of the game?

[rsl]

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?

[slow whistle]

Originally Posted by rsl

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!

[rsl]

Originally Posted by slow whistle

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!

agreed

[JugglingReferee]

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.

[BillyMac]

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.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

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.

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.

[slow whistle]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

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.

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..

[deecee]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

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.

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.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

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.

So sucking it up in a scrimmage generates good will???

Originally Posted by BillyMac

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

Officials don't need scrimmages.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by LDUB

Officials don't need scrimmages.

Maybe you don't, but I've seen a lot (myself included) that find pre-season scrimmages very helpful.

We don't have a lot of options for calling ball in the fall around here. Summer ball ends in August/Sept, then basketball starts after Thanksgiving. So, scrimmages throughout November are a great way to see some plays and "get back in the groove." All our officials do them for free - even the 'vets' because most of them see value in it.

If they paid, I'd gladly take it - but I want to be ready when the first ball of the season goes up and look at the scrimmages as an opportunity to both get myself ready and help the new guys.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by deecee

Doing 1 scrimmage DOES not make your READY for the season, especially if you have been doing games in the offseason. You should be ready once you suit up, if not this one game is not the cure all.

Originally Posted by LDUB

Officials don't need scrimmages.

deecee and LDUB: I don't do one scrimmage, I try to do six to eight in the preseason. I do not officiate from April until October. When I step onto the court in late November, I haven't blown a whistle, with the exception of summer camp, for seven months. And every year there are new rules, and possibly new mechanics to get used to. I know that I'm in the minority here, but it's just the way I feel. I'm not at my best, and I need to work scrimmages to get ready for the real season. I appreciate the $10.00, or $20.00, for gas, and laundry, or I appreciate a free T-shirt, or a grinder, or a slice of pizza, or a beverage, but getting (basically) a junior varsity game fee for a practice game for both the players, and for me, just seems a little excessive, especially during this current recession. Keep in mind that I've been doing free scrimmages for twenty-seven years, so this is going to take some getting use to. I guess that I'll have to figure out a way to spend the extra money. That part won't be too hard.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Conferences:

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

You pay $200 to officiate in a conference?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by LDUB

You pay $200 to officiate in a conference?

Yup. I sent the game to OT, too.