Officiating other sports
 

With so many multiple-sport officials visiting here, a question came to mind: Which sport do you think is the easiest to add to the hoops officiating repertoire? Which sports are easiest or hardest overall, period?

I realize a lot can hinge on one's interest, personal background in a certain sport and schedule, but any observations that can be drawn nonetheless? (A respected out-of-state official recently told me, for example, he thought softball is not as hard as basketball.)

Tennis has got to be the easiest. You sit in a chair and point. Not only that, the players make a lot of their own calls! Piece of cake.

I started football a few years ago. Love it.

Football and baseball are the two sports I'd consider adding if I added one; maybe softball.

Oh yeah - did I mention I've officiated croquet? It's pretty easy. Plus - you get cucumber sandwiches and lemonade for lunch!

I would think one of the hardest would be Calvinball - especially since the rules change as the game is being played.

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They do that in MOST sports. I have thought about volleyball as a number of folks in my assn do that sport in the fall.

I have heard VB is a good deal: You stand still and still get a great view, and matches can be pretty brief. Not sure how intricate the rules get (speaking merely as mildly interested spectator thus far).

As for tennis, I didn't know they put many people in the chair for high school. At least they didn't when my sister played.

Hoops has to be the toughest on the body, no? (OK, maybe hockey but that's not as widespread.)

I do Soccer and Basketball, and just took up Volleyball after taking a few years off from that sport due to school (couldn't mix volleyball and soccer in the fall). High school Soccer and Basketball, basketball is harder no doubt. But I think (and this is JUST an opinion) that FIFA/USSF soccer is harder to do than PIAA basketball overall.

What Next?
 

With the winter Olympics still freshly engrained in my memory, I'm thinking of seeing what it'll take to officiate curling.

Seriously, soccer or lacrosse might offer the basketball official some further growth and enjoyment, with the continuous action. Soccer I've done, lacrosse isn't really big around here yet. I do baseball, but there's so much standing around time that it hardly compares with the second-by-second action of basketball.

Soccer or lacrosse. That's my final answer, Wink.

If I'm going to work any other sports, they would have to have the four things that make officiating basketball so nice - you're indoors out of the weather, you have indoor bathrooms, you have indoor water fountains and most of all, you're close to the hot moms in the bleachers.

I Agree With Mark Padgett, 100%
 

One additional reason:

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This will offend some people. But I feel baseball is the easiest by far for me. You do not make a lot of tough calls and if you are not behind the plate, you almost have a day off. That being said, it still is difficult, but not as hard and physically demanding as football and basketball. Working the plate is a little difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it is really not that hard. But that does not mean anyone can do it. You have to understand the sport. But I played baseball for years and it came very easy for me.

Peace

I'm much the same way. Baseball came relatively easy to me compared to basketball. I will say that baseball isn't all that easy though when you see some of the guys who umpire....they make it look exceedingly difficult.

We could say that really about any sport. I see a lot of bad basketball officials too and bad football officials. My point is they are all hard if you consider what you have to do mentally to stay sharp and to physically stay on top of things. Just if I had to choose which one is the easiest my vote is baseball. And the reason I also say that, is I see many good basketball and football officials really step into baseball and do very well. I have seen some baseball umpires try to do basketball and not have a clue how to handle themselves. Also part of this is the way the games are fast paced and how much responsibility you have to take on. In baseball unfortunately if you are on the bases you might not have a close play the entire game. I cannot think of too many basketball games where I had a day off on the court. Even when you do not call something, there is a person in your ear telling you how you missed something or how you the game should be called. And participants are constantly reminding you of that. Baseball, unless you have a close call or a close pitch, not much they are going to say. Not to say they just give you a pass (Not what I am saying at all), but there are so many times behind the plate I am a non-factor. They swing the bat and I have no role in the game (or very little role). Also in baseball you can get away with not being in the best shape. You cannot do that as a basketball official very well and you cannot do it very well as a football official and you will soon be exposed if you are not.

Peace

When I was a teenager (before time was invented) back in the south suburbs of Chicago, I worked three summers umpiring park district kids baseball. I umpired 8-9-10 year olds ("minors") and 11-12 year olds ("majors"). Only one official worked the entire field. We stood behind the pitcher with only a ball/strike counter - no other equipment. I think I made about $2.00 per game (maybe less), which was good money back then. I usually worked two games on a Saturday. It was easy and a lot of fun, except for the time a batter hit a line drive right back at the mound and the pitcher just jumped out of the way. I barely had time to duck and the ball just skinned my neck as it passed by.

BTW - I received virtually no training for this. The park district just assumed that because I had played in their program since I was 8 (and made the all-star team as a shortstop each year - sorry, but I had to brag), I must have known the rules and knew how to position myself for the various situations by having watched the umpires for so many years. I must have done a good job because they had me work the summers I was 13, 14 & 15. They asked me to work the next summer, but I was now 16 and found a much better summer job (valet parking at a mob-owned steakhouse - no kidding).

Ahhhh - the good old days. :)

Correction:
 

Those are two additional reasons.

Baseball and the knees
 

Baseball is pretty easy until it isn't. Like working the plate solo for a kids legaue fall ball doubleheader on a damp and raw autumn afternoon in which 55 runs are scored in 11 1/2 innings, many of them on walks despite an ever-expanding strike zone. The kids are small so you're bending that knee over and over, then popping back up.

It's still sore. For much of the basketball season,I was popping two ibuprophen an hour before the game and two at halftime.

I hear more guys are getting into working lacrosse, since the increase in popularity has meant a shortage of officials, so you don't even have to have played the game to get into it

Most of the lacrosse people I've seen locally are clearly just there for the paycheck. And after working football, basketball, and baseball, how much time is there for yet another sport anyway?

:)

I used to umpire baseball, but ridiculously long games where pitchers can't find the strike zone become incredibly boring very quickly. I would much rather ref a blow-out basketball game than work the plate for a blowout baseball game that has more walks and wild pitches than hits.

I just got my grade 8 (USSF soccer) license so I'll let you know how that goes. As someone who has played and coached soccer for a long time I have a feeling that it will be easier than basketball, but I will soon find out.

So this is a vote for baseball (or whatever) on 80-degree days?!

If she played, would it be three additional reasons? :eek:

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Welcome to the World's largest sport as measured by both participants and spectators. One thing to be aware of, being in adequate physical condition to referee basketball will not be adequate to referee the same level of soccer.

Plus - you have to learn to speak metric! :eek:

I do both football and baseball in addition to basketball. I find that football is just plain easy. Once you learn your responsibilities, you have a very small area to worry about, and if you do manage to miss something, there are 4 other guys out there to help you out.

Baseball I find challenging in that there are plays and rotations that you will see less than once a year. I find that baseball is difficult for me in that I'm very much a repetition learner and there are too many variables that don't happen often. I also find that the game management aspect of baseball is different than basketball. It is more of a chess match and moves a lot slower. I personally don't have nearly the same game awareness in baseball because what matters in the game is sometimes very slow to develop.

I've worked full varsity schedules and playoffs in all three for a few years. Baseball is getting cut back for me this summer and I'm getting out totally soon after that. I need my summers to expand my basketball camp attendance and stay in shape. A little more time on the golf course will be nice too.

+1

And that's more a function of stoopidly trying to play a game on a very large surface with basically one on-field official making all important decisions. That's why soccer is one of the most poorly-officiated sports in the world imo, and also is why it is particularly prone to match-fixing.

T'aint really nuthin' to brag about iow. You can't replace proper field coverage with fitness if it doesn't matter how fit the official is if it's impossible for that official to get into position to see certain things anyway. It's analogous to trying to officiate all NBA basketball games with one official.

And imo there isn't anything dumber than getting rid of an official for international games because of an arbitrary age limit even though that official has now become experienced and battle-hardened.

Note that I'm not knocking soccer; I'm knocking the people that won't let soccer evolve. The major sports here--beisbol, football, basketball and hockey-- have all added to the size of their officiating crews over the years while trying to evolve with the game. Think of going back to do an NFL game with only 3 or 4 officials...shudder.

Hmmm, if the other 4 guys are doing their job though, they should not be able to help you much of the time.

Football is easier than basketball, although the rules are a hell of a lot more complicated. It is more officiating by exception though - most plays are very routine.

I hear HS basketball officials all the time say things like "those old NCAA officials, they should pack it in -- they couldn't even work 2-man if they wanted to" -- well, who cares? Someone very smart decided that it's more important to have 3 officials with experienced eyes on the court than it is to have three gazelles running up and down. And the handful of times each season someone gets injured and they *do* work two shows that those guys can get by that way, in a pinch.

I've had this conversation with British friends who don't understand why I'm not willing to criticize the center referees in soccer and my response is always "if they think one guy on a field that big can be expected to have distance and angle on every crucial call, they're nuts -- soccer teams and fans get what they deserve."

Well, you probably would hear 'and 1' a lot more.

Did not realize this (not disputing it, just didn't realize).

I always figured that, sure, while you have to be on your feet and move, it's probably not as much wear and tear as basketball officiating but wasn't sure on the decision-making.

I completely agree. Baseball is the easiest of the three by far. I find basketball to be the most challenging but it is also my newest sport and I did not play it much in school.

Oh, no question that basketball takes a lot more energy and fitness.

Basketball also has many, many, MANY more "tough" calls game in and game out. Football has relatively few.

But the rules can be a bit of a bear, especially if you are the R and hence expected to know them and know all the penalties and enforcements. Heck, just getting the scrimmage kick rules down solid is a challenge that most high school officials never achieve, IMO.

I think officiating rugby would be cool. :cool:

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+1

I'm new to the area that I started officiating both basketball and baseball starting at the beginning of last year. I had my first chance to work with some baseball umpires in the area last spring who I thought did a great job on the diamond. Then, this last fall, I got to work with a couple of those same guys on the basketball court, and I had a totally different opinion of them after working with them in basketball. I then noticed that it is much easier for mediocre basketball officials to be great baseball officials. Therefore, baseball is easier to officiate, IMO.

Let me find you an online logic course - sounds like it would help. :D

Football rules are the hardest because every rule and application has a specific course of action based on many factors. People think officials in football get together to pick up flags, when actually we are trying to make sure we share all the facts to get a play right. For example if we have a penalty, thinks like did the ball go out of bounds, incomplete pass, first down, live ball, dead ball, score made can all change the enforcement. If you do not recognize the right situation, you will screw up the rule completely. And even though those rules are hard, you can lean on each other to get things right and you have to lean on each other as your penalty might not have anything to do with other actions on the field. A lot of football officials also try to lean on the Referee to make most of these decisions as well. Which is a recipe for trouble, but you can get away with this a lot of the time. The problem is everyone on a football crew needs to know the rules because they might be the one that saves the crew from disaster. This is partially why I feel basketball is harder, because I cannot lean on other officials to get plays right that I call.

This I'll never understand. Of course, as the referee on my crew, I don't have the luxury of letting someone else know the rules and enforcement.

I do not understand it either. But many do it and expect the Referee to know everything. And having been a Referee, I realized more how much I need others to know things I cannot answer. A lot of times I was the guy that found out the information last, as I was not looking in certain places. I am sure you know this yourself as a Referee. But often crews get away with it because coaches are clueless to rules and most situations are not realized until much later.

Peace

From the perspective of a thee-year football official, first year basketball official:

I wouldn't say one is necessarily harder then the other, but they are very different experiences.

Football has more complex rules, and a lot more players to watch on a given play (especially in undervarsity play when you only have a 2 person or 3 person crew). On the other hand, you usually get around 15 seconds or so of 'down time' between plays, which can help you mentally reset yourself. And in a regular 4- or 5-person crew, you generally know what you're going to be looking for before a play starts.

Basketball has relatively simple rules, but requires more snap judgements. your keys change much more rapidly then they do in football, and there's very little downtime. Also, the fans are generally much closer to the action, so they can be more of a distraction if you let them... on the other hand, basketball seems to have more of a 'Hot mom' component then football.

I haven't done baseball yet (although I'm starting this spring), so I can't make any comparisons there.

Lacrosse
 

I have found lacrosse to be very similar to basketball. Much of the refs role is positioning, body contact, etc. The sticks, helmets and shoulder pads add a ton of fun. Also, parents dont know the rules (at least in my area). Very little banter from the sidelines. I love doing lacrosse and the rules are not complicated, very logical.

The issue with baseball is not calling outs, or even balls and strikes - its the complicated rules on those odd-ball plays like balls thrown into dug outs, interference with the baserunner, etc. To me, many things seemed illogical. Also, you ref a LONG TIME for $60. Softball's game time commitment is less.

Right - in both games, players get to hit the other guy with a stick!

Hey - I allow that in my games. :p

When Whack Really Means Whack ...
 

Hey? Do officials carry sticks? If the officials get to hit obnoxious coaches and fans over the heads with sticks, then count me in.

For those who are calling baseball "easy" I challenge you to actually officiate a game.

Granted, there aren't as many calls to make during a game if you're on the bases. But there is a much greater area to cover.

Some of the mechanics for positioning and rotations are fairly complex.

Also, the rules of baseball aren't an easy read ever.

Anyone who says baseball is an "easy" sport to officiate has clearly never tried to read the balk rule. There isn't a section in the 2 basketball books I'm conversant in ( Fed and FIBA) which is screwed up as that.

Baseball requires a great deal of mental concentration. You might go 2 innings without a "banger" and then you might have to make 2 calls on the same play. That doesn't really happen in basketball. Also, weather doesn't make nearly as much of an impact in basketball- at least once you get to the gym it doesn't.

Easier than basketball- perhaps from time to time but they are apples and oranges and should not be compared.

For those who are calling baseball "easy" I challenge you to actually officiate a game.

Granted, there aren't as many calls to make during a game if you're on the bases. But there is a much greater area to cover.

Some of the mechanics for positioning and rotations are fairly complex.

Also, the rules of baseball aren't an easy read ever.

Anyone who says baseball is an "easy" sport to officiate has clearly never tried to read the balk rule. There isn't a section in the 2 basketball books I'm conversant in ( Fed and FIBA) which is screwed up as that.

Baseball requires a great deal of mental concentration. You might go 2 innings without a "banger" and then you might have to make 2 calls on the same play. That doesn't really happen in basketball. Also, weather doesn't make nearly as much of an impact in basketball- at least once you get to the gym it doesn't.

Easier than basketball- perhaps from time to time but they are apples and oranges and should not be compared.

I was the one that called baseball relatively easy. Meaning compared to other sports, it was easier to master. Now I do work baseball and have for almost 15 years. I am not speaking from a place of ignorance; I am speaking from a place of being around the game as a player and then umpires.

That is true, but the mechanics and rotations are not as difficult to master as they are in football or basketball. Baseball has some set starting positions and movements are pretty easy to figure out as it is based on where the ball goes. Not to say that everything is that simple, but I do not have as hard of a time getting angles.

Actually I think the balk rule is one of the easiest rules to officiate in baseball. It is not like you are moving while trying see the play. You can focus on the pitcher and nothing else. And you have two people at least in most cases that can make a call based on what they see. That rule is not harder than some football rules and you have to do that with bodies all over the place and try to get angles.

You have to have a lot of mental concentration in other sports as well. And since this is on the basketball board, you have to constantly be on your toes because the minute you think nothing is going to happen, you have to call something or not call something. But someone feels you should have called something or not called something. In baseball you have to call something and it is a one way or another call. I would not put weather as a factor to make a call. The only thing about the weather is you likely do not want to be there. But I have never seen the weather as a deterrent to make a call.

Easier than football too. For many of the same reasons I said basketball is harder than baseball. A lot of movement to get in place and much more dead ball officiating in football is required and movement. Many of the baseball calls can be made completely still. You cannot do that in football. And you have to do this consistently.

Peace

Football. From my experience and observation, it appears that basketball officials who become football officials do well, but the opposite transition doesn't work well at all.

Most of that observation about football officials going basketball came from back in the days of almost pure running game football with few pass-interference type (i.e. basketball-esque) calls. Now that may be different with the game going pass oriented at the high school and even jr. high levels.

Football will make you a better rules official in basketball. Basketball will help you become a better judgment official in football. That is what someone told me a long time ago. I tend to agree.

As someone who does both, I would say the biggest problem many football officials would have transitioning to basketball would be physical fitness.

I currently oficiate volleyball and softball. Had to give up basketball due to leg injuries that no longer respond well to the pounding on the hard court.

From my experience, basketball is the most difficult sport to officiate. It is a series of snap judgements while having to constantly re-position yourself to follow the action. With two officials, it is difficult, but doable to watch ten players, with three officials, that job becomes easier.

It took me about three - four years of doing volleyball for the light to come on. The rules are not quite as complex as basketball or softball, but there are several things that an official needs to know and be aware of. There is almost no physical component to officiating VB, but it is very mentally taxing if you want to do it right.

I've been thinking about becoming a track starter...where else does your job consist of pointing a gun in the air and firing blanks??

Wow, there are a dozen punch lines for this one just ready to fly.

uuuuuuuh....what exactly do you use to point that gun with. :o

There's a new sport I'm thinking of officiating. Since it's new, I can probably get in on the ground floor and work my way up to the pros pretty quick. Of course I'm talking about javelin catching. :eek:

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Well, usually, only the freshmen compete because they are guaranteed a starting position. If they survive to become sophomores, they move on to other events.

Junior High Volleyball.

As the joke in my association goes,

If you want to steal money from a school, become a volleyball official :D

Every year at basketball camps, we chat about other sports. I've found a BUNCH of guys who've started doing volleyball and talk about it like they are stealing money. When I tell them I do football, they sneer at me -- hate the weather (rarely a problem, except last year), the rules, the uniform (got a point there), etc. But I did volleyball for 2 years and while I love the sport, I had to take uppers to stay awake during my games and couldn't wait for them to end. I had, I think, ONE match -- a playoff game that matched 2 good teams -- where I wanted it to go 3 games. Everything else I wanted it over with, so I decided it wasn't worth it.

The volleyball uniform rocks! I'll give them that.