Why do you officiate?

[Hugh Refner]

This probably has been discussed before, but the subject came up when I was talking with a guy at work the other day. He is also an official, albeit not basketball (football and baseball).

He said it fulfills a need to continue to be involved with the sports he played as a kid but is too old to play now. He said the alternative would be to coach, but he "would need to get a lobotomy" to be able to handle that.

I told him I work basketball for three reasons. First, it gives me some exercise. Second, I just love the game and really like to see kids progress up the ladder over the years. Third, (and I am not kidding here, ask my psychiatrist) I enjoy being in a position of total authority. Maybe because it's a counterbalance to my home life.

Any other reasons you guys do this?

[BillyMac]

Money is only one of several reasons, but it's a reason. I often tell people that with all the travel, meetings, committee work, evaluating younger officials, etc. that I wouldn't do this for free. It's kind of like a hobby that I can make some money on, like an amateur artist that sells a few paintings. If I didn't enjoy doing it, it wouldn't be worth the money that I make doing it.

Other reasons include staying involved with a sport that I've loved for over forty years, seeing some exciting basketball up close (we've got the best seat in the house), getting some exercise, enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow officials, forming lasting professional relationships with coaches, and athletic directors, and the challenge of continuing to improve my officiating skills, as well as helping younger officials to improve their's.

[grunewar]

Yep, this has been discussed many, many times.

Like many others, I love the game. I played for many yrs. Then, I had two boys and coached for many yrs. I started "officiating" at their practices and then lending a hand during Rec League games in a pinch. I then started working Rec games in earnest and a patched official said I had some potential and should move to the next level.....and I'm still working at it.

Like others, it keeps me close to the game, out in the community, gives me exercise, the ability to help younger officials, and some pocket change.

Mostly though it's because I look good in black and white vertical stripes (insert photo here) and I love the ref groupies!

[DonInKansas]

Originally Posted by Hugh Refner

TThird, (and I am not kidding here, ask my psychiatrist) I enjoy being in a position of total authority. Maybe because it's a counterbalance to my home life.

That's on my list too. I can't just eject my wife when she gets out of line.

[Hugh Refner]

Originally Posted by grunewar

Mostly though it's because I look good in black and white vertical stripes (insert photo here)

OK, I will. Which one is you?

Originally Posted by Hugh Refner

OK, I will. Which one is you?

Nah, can't be any of them. That's the picture of the groupies!

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Nah, can't be any of them. That's the picture of the groupies!

For the fame and glory. The deafening screams of thousands of adoring fans as I come through the doorway onto the court. For the absolute feeling of respect and deference, almost reverence, I get from the coaches and players.

And then I wake up.

I enjoy the challenge, the exercise, the association with the game, the friendships, and a few bucks never hurts.

[dsturdy5]

As many others have said, I love the game. I have been involved since I was about 7 years old and have either played, coached, or officiated every winter since. I am only 30 and keep in good shape, I still play pick up games and such but this is a way for me to stay involved in a more formal manner than to watch the local high school or college teams. Our board meetings are actually pretty fun, the local interpreter is great, most of the guys are excellent and I always walk out knowing more than before I went in. I have gained many friends over the last 8 or so years of doing this too. The cash doesn't hurt either. Most of my wedding was paid for by my game dues.

I have a 2 month old now and am taking the summer off and perhaps the winter months too. I do miss it but I am not sure if I will work a year from now, however I will keep my IAABO membership active. I may wait until my son has grown up a bit as I want to be there and see him play whatever he chooses to participate in. I have watched too many fellow officials miss out on their own kids games to work a few extra games here and there. If I have to sit out for a time and come back later, so be it.

[mbyron]

Babes.

[Hugh Refner]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Babes.

You mean like these? Do they ever question your calls?

[chayce]

I am sitting in a hospital room tonight reading to my ill father and I ran across this file that I wrote in 2003. It still applies for me:

“Here Comes the Judge”

Basketball is truly a place of high drama. It is a place where man vs man, man vs nature and man vs himself plays out with real characters under the full scrutiny of dedicated yet fickle fans. It is a place where no participant can hide, a place where winners and losers are distinctly labeled, a place where mistakes are magnified into misery and success becomes legendary! This place of athletic theatre requires the careful eye of one who will enforce the rules by which each participant must abide. Stepping onto this stage as an enforcer of rules puts you into one of life’s toughest roles: that of judge (a.k.a. official, referee). After all, why do you think they call it a basketball “court”?

An official just happens to hold the only enforceable view of how well the rules are being followed. If the whistle isn’t blown, there is no foul and a “walk” happens only when a referee gives the designated signal! Regardless of how angry or loud anyone else in the arena might be, the official’s opinion is the only one that truly is official. The thought of being in such tight control can be intoxicating but at times it can also be smothering. When your view is THE view, there is enormous pressure to be right…100% of the time! The sport and its participants certainly deserve nothing less than perfection.

Oh, my…expectations of perfection? Why would anyone even dream of taking a job that has no margin of error, no wiggle room, no tolerance of anything but being flawless? Who in their “right” mind would want a job with no forgiveness for being wrong? In this case, the very questions of who and why ultimately contain the answer. For an official, the pursuit of perfection is the game within a game that draws one to participate. Officials are tormented and teased by the mental and emotional challenge that grows from hunting something that has never been seen. The perfect game is as illusive as Nessie and Big Foot and it is the very reason that the search is so addictive.

The constant nagging in the back of a basketball official’s mind says, “There is no such thing as a perfect game.” It awaits confirmation on the first block/charge! When a referee steps out on the court, he/she is only a whistle away from the worst call some fan or coach has ever seen! The mind says, “You can’t always be right”, but the heart says, “If you work hard enough, the perfect game will come.” It is this life battle between heart and mind that officials live for.

Officiating is much like driving a bus filled with backseat drivers. Every move is second guessed, every decision questioned, and every explanation jeered…by someone. Yet, it is the insatiable desire to prove to everyone that you were right and have a much better chance of being right on the next call than they do, that keeps an official coming back game after game. The passion that officials have for the game comes from the desire to be perfect in an environment that would not recognize perfection even if it existed.

Many officials have careers outside of officiating that are colored by shades of gray. The decisions we make are designated okay, good, better, or best, illustrating that success sometimes comes in degrees. Officiating, however, has no middle ground; you are loved or hated, admired or despised, asked back or eternally uninvited. Everything is seen as good or bad, right or wrong, do or die. There is nothing quite like being a basketball “judge”. When you make the right decision, there is little fanfare because, after all, that is what you are getting paid for. When your judgment fails you, the perfect game once again slips away into hiding and those in the gallery voice that reality with gusto. Right or wrong, a judge must always make a decision and to be considered successful, a basketball official must possess the wisdom and strength to declare guilty or not guilty under the microscope of everyone present: fans, players, coaches, and partners. Ultimately, it is for them that we call the game and unveil the verdict!

[Raymond]

Initially? Because I had just separated from my (ex-)wife and the new financial situation left me without any pocket change/entertainment money.