For the love of the game?

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

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.

Of course the schools aren't going to pay, you have a group of guys in your area willing to do it for free, there is no reason for the school to waste money. Ask the school if they would still pay officials for regular season games if they figured out a way to get out of paying.

You find the scrimmages helpful, that is fine, good for you...but why would you work it for free? A scrimmage game is just another type of game. The teams don't need officials, they could try to play a scrimmage or a regular game without officials. If the team wants officials to drive to the game site, spend several hours of their time, be away from their families/jobs, run around on the court, and risk injury then they should pay the officials.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by LDUB

You find the scrimmages helpful, that is fine, good for you...but why would you work it for free?

I think I answered this in the part where I talked about it helping me get ready for the season.

I take this job seriously. I look at scrimmages as an opportunity to get better. I pay to go to camps, I do scrimmages for free, I get paid to do games, I hope to get better every time out.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

I look at scrimmages as an opportunity to get better.

I look at every game as an opportunity to get better but I don't work them for free.

[HawkeyeCubP]

Originally Posted by LDUB

...but why would you work it for free? A scrimmage game is just another type of game. The teams don't need officials, they could try to play a scrimmage or a regular game without officials. If the team wants officials to drive to the game site, spend several hours of their time, be away from their families/jobs, run around on the court, and risk injury then they should pay the officials.

Scrimmages are an expected part of service for being a member of my local high school association during pre-season, and an absolute necessity for being a member of my two college associations. And I don't think your statement about teams being able to play practice games without officials applies to anything above the JV high school level. I don't know of a single JC, DIII, NAIA, or DII college that I could get assigned to that doesn't play multiple scrimmages before their games for record begin. The coaches want real officials at those games, for a few important reasons. It's part of the official or unofficial contract between the conferences and their officials' associations.

[zm1283]

Around here you'll get paid for any preseason scrimmage as far as I know.