I love picking up games!

[eyezen]

Originally Posted by Publius

You guys who like working would have really loved the old days, when you didn't have to depend on assigners to offer you games. You just went out and got what you wanted, where you wanted, when you wanted.

Ever since leagues went to assigners, my work has been cut by a third because I'm not willing to elevate last-minute games above the rest of life--what you guys call "being available." I never had to before, even though I worked a lot more, because I filled my schedule well in advance. My motto with assigners is, "If you wanted me to work that game, you should have offered it to me in the first place."

Because the majority of officials were too lazy to work to get better and/or fill a schedule on their own, leagues got frustrated and made officials join associations, with mandated training and game assigners. It raised the bottom, but it ruined things for many ambitious--both at getting better, and getting games--individuals who didn't just sit around waiting for teams to call them.

Revenues are driven down and expenses are up since individual initiative was relegated to the scrap heap. I live in an urban area with dozens of schools within 25 miles, and scores more within 50. I NEVER went outside the 25 mile radius of my house before assigners decided "You need to take your turns working the longer-distance games like everybody else--if you want to get games from me."

Entire training sessions are now themed around "How to get more and better games by sucking up to the assigner and asking 'How high?' whenever he says 'Jump!" " They don't call it that, but that's what it is.

Assigners add considerable value for the teams and leagues that need officials, and for officials who aren't bright enough to recognize that most of a successful officiating career takes place off the court or field. For officials with ambition, assigners add nothing and take a lot away. They're a pox.

I disagree with all of this. I came up in the "hustle you own game" system and absolutely hated it. Hoping an AD called to offer games, and it be a potpourri games from JH to varsity, boys girls etc. Imagine working a JH game one night and turning around in the same gym possibly the next and work a varsity game. Done that, no thanks. Then the next AD would call, and what he would offer you invariably would be on the same nights. So you'd end up with a haphazard schedule or have to pizz off an AD by calling him back and turning back some games for him to find some sort of balance. Now extrapolate that across many schools and many ADs? Forget it.

Since joining an association I never have to worry about hustling my own games. I have a consistent schedule. I can block out dates if I want and I dont get called. If I'm open and get called, I know I'm going to work. The positives far far far outwieght any negatives. In my opinion the only people to hate the assignor system are those who think they are better than they are and think they should be getting more and bigger games and the assignor is holding them back or doesn't get along with them. That or those with an authority complex.

[Rich]

We have conference assignors and ADs (who assign most nonconference games). I like the system. I work as much as I want. Those who won't email or contact a commissioner or AD and wait for people to call them are the same people who don't work. Me? I'll break 60 varsity and above this season for the first time. You can't be afraid to ask for games - not everyone says yes, but many will give you a shot and if you can work you will.

When I worked for a central assignor my dates were at his whim. Some weeks lots of games, others 1 or 2. Took care of his "boys". No thanks. This way I can lose one assignor for whatever reason and it doesn't affect more than a handful of games.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

We have conference assignors and ADs (who assign most nonconference games). I like the system. I work as much as I want. Those who won't email or contact a commissioner or AD and wait for people to call them are the same people who don't work. Me? I'll break 60 varsity and above this season for the first time. You can't be afraid to ask for games - not everyone says yes, but many will give you a shot and if you can work you will.

When I worked for a central assignor my dates were at his whim. Some weeks lots of games, others 1 or 2. Took care of his "boys". No thanks. This way I can lose one assignor for whatever reason and it doesn't affect more than a handful of games.

That said, I'm already planning my scaling back for 2013-14. I'm going to be very selective in what I take and hope I can get enough boys games to make me happy. If I work 30 games, I think I'll be OK. With baseball and football, I do enough officiating as it is.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The Arbiter has definitely changed things for sure. Not much of an issue at the HS level anymore with conflicts and double booking as every assignor in the Chicago area are tied into the same system to view who is open and closed dates.

Arbiter rules. I only work for two assigners, one assigns me all my high school games, and the other assigns me Catholic middle school games. My Catholic middle school assigner can "see" my high school schedule, thus avoiding conflicts. Even though my high school assigner can't "see" my Catholic middle school assignments, whenever I get a new high school assignment, like a fill-in assignment, on a night when I already have a Catholic middle school assignment, I can email, or call, my Catholic middle school assigner and turn back his game, even at the last minute, no problem, no repercussions. It's a great system.

[Publius]

Originally Posted by eyezen

I disagree with all of this. I came up in the "hustle you own game" system and absolutely hated it. Hoping an AD called to offer games...

If that's how it worked for you, you don't know the meaning of hustling your own games. You waited for ADs to call, and now you wait for assigners to call. There's no hustle in that.

In my opinion the only people to like the assignor system are those who think they are better than they are and think they should be getting more and bigger games and the assignor is helping them do that because he gets along with them. That or those with an inferiority complex.

Plenty of guys got more and better games based on ability and their own initiative, and now get less of both because assigners have to keep 100 officials happy to keep their jobs; the jobs they want because they love to be in control. Teams and leagues love assigners because it relieves them of the responsibility of getting officials. While lots of officials might like assigners, none worth his salt has any real need for one.

[JerryLundagard]

When I first started out, if you wanted to work a lot you had to get your own games. There were assigners but they only had so many games. If I wanted to work a lot I needed to go out and get games. I never minded that part of the deal. I liked the fact that I had control over my schedule.

Now our area is pretty much exclusively controlled by assigners. Probably 95% of the games are assigned by someone other than the school. It is easier to manage but there is far less control over where I work. I will get three or four emails in April and my schedule will be pretty much filled up. I don’t have to do much work but also I have to go where they tell me. I guess you take the good with the bad.

[stiffler3492]

My first year was the last year my area used Assign By Web, and by the time I got patched, the assignments had been given out for months. I was left to keep refreshing the self-assign section of the page, hoping something would pop up.

Picking up games from certain assignors led to more regular assignments from those guys.