Everyone has different reasons, and most have a combination of reasons.

Pretty much, I have three reasons I work these games.

1) I need the exercise
2) I like the camaraderie with my partner
3) I get off on the sense of total control I have over everyone in the gym

It's mostly number three. :D

The reason that the off-season rates are so low is exactly because these idiots take that many games in a day. If they would tell the assignor that they will only work four and that he needs to find someone else for the other three or four the assignors/leagues/tournament organizers would have to up the rates to recruit more people. However, as long as these fools are willing to work a ton of games a day for a cut rate the pay won't increase and the entire referee group in that area gets a poor deal.

Bravo, bravo! Someone who understands. :)

AAU Mode ...
 

For twenty dollars a game: I'm switching when convenient. I'm administering throwins along the frontcourt endline across the lane so as to not make my partner, as the trail, rotate. I'm reporting fouls, and timeouts, from as far away as the "paint". I'm hustling, maybe not running flat out, but certainly not walking.

Usually, we use what's known as "convenience mechanics". We switch only when it "makes sense" because of our positioning and on about every third or fourth shooting foul.

I'm not using this as an excuse to explain why so many guys will work these games, but a lot of the courts are middle school size or even smaller.

BTW - there's no shortage of guys who will take these games so telling an assignor you will work only a few games doesn't create a problem for them. They actually turn away some refs.

Folks, you get what you pay for.

Maybe in your area.

There, it is now correct.

No "maybe" about it. In fact, I had a guy call me this morning looking for games. He wanted to know who the assignors were for the spring leagues. This is a guy who has worked regular HS games for many years. Knowing him as well as I do, I would guess he's not in it for the money, but the exercise. Seriously.

I belong to a gym -- I get my exercise there. Or I go for a run. I'm glad that so many people want to work these games in your area, Mark. Has that driven the fees down even further?

I personally enjoy getting paid to exercise. :D I save the gym for days I can't get games.

I don't work rec basketball, but the youth soccer league I work in the spring has seen a huge increase in first year referees. Last year I was the only qualified level 8 in town. This year there are 8. On top of that, there are about six grade 9 refs (which is lower) and we're all fighting for just 40 game-slots for the season.

I think it's an economy thing.

No, they've pretty much stayed the same for a while. In fact, some have gone up just a little. There's really no way to affect the fees by a bunch of guys refusing to work games for a certain price structure. I would guess about 75 to 80 percent of the guys who work these games do not belong to any association. I know a few of them who are retired and get only Social Security plus what they get for these games. They're more than happy to take as many games as they can for whatever pay they can get. I know one guy who lives in my suburb who, during the fall/winter season, works at least 30 rec games a week. He earns from $20 to $30 per game. That, plus his Social Security, gives him enough to live on. He works about 15-20 per week in spring leagues, pretty much at $20 per game.