An wise official once told me that we are the "janitors" of sports.

And no one gives a s**t about their trash until it isn't taken out.

Officiating is never going to be at the top of the priority list when it comes to athletics. We're lucky if we are on the list!

I'm aware of that. And really I'm winking when I say what I've said the past few posts. I expect nothing to change.

Just expect that I'll probably give a big old eye roll, Mr. Athletic Director, when you complain about not having any money for us. I know the truth. In the end, it's a choice. Fueled to a large degree by supply and demand.

That's why I ref now :). That, and I love basketball, kids, and a bit of exercise. Also have a great partner, another greedy :rolleyes: school teacher. Our conference is smaller that's probably why the pay is lower, but I worked those games to support my students not to make a million.

We Earned It The Old Fashioned Way ...
 

Maximum 70%, based on a formula combining age, service and the average of the highest three years of paid salary, here in Connecticut, with no Social Security benefits based on my teaching career, and I paid 7.25% of my salary into the retirement fund every year for almost thirty-five years. I had absolutely no control over how my money that I contributed into my pension fund was invested. It's not a "guaranteed 3% increase every year", is a cost of living adjustment based on the annual inflation rate, with no increase two of the past four years.

A lot of those people aren't necessarily being paid. I work at a high school and I went to several games after my season was done. It probably looked like I was "supervising" when I was really just standing there.

Around here, no one supervising or working the table makes anywhere close to what officials make. It's something like $30-40 for the whole night. Not exactly living high on the hog.

Eight teachers all making more than the officials? Really?

You know guys, if it's that bad, get out of officiating and get into teaching so you can take advantage of all these perks. No one forces you to officiate.

This is probably a very local issue, but yes in this area there are teachers and "volunteers" getting paid more than the game officials to either work the table or to be on the chain gang. Yes that is widely known here. There is also a problem because some local teacher's unions and their contract with the local school district made it where union members were to work these positions and get paid to do so.

And yes no one forces us to do anything, but then those should not complain when they get people with ulterior motives when they take a game other than what they want to "think" we should be taking games for. And then cry poor when we want more officials for a contest or raise the pay to cover costs to work the game. It is often here expected for officials to travel from certain distances, but then they have not changed the pay scale and then complain that the game is not "safe" for the players. Last time I checked the table people did not directly make the playing environment safer.

Peace

Where Is The Eagle ???
 

(He hasn't posted since August 30, 2012.)

Sounds like a job for the "Eagle".

Probably would have been trail opposite table with the C having the play in front of him. That trail official would have had a good look at that one even from that position though.

Can They Rent A Car ???
 

Are either of these officials old enough to drink? Are either of these officials old enough to shave? I bet that I have underwear older than these two kids.

You're missing the point which is schools are free with paying extras to hang around and yet have no funds for a third official.

I don't disagree that there is little additional overhead for a third official. Assuming 10 home games and even a slightly reduced rate (We generally are paid $5 less for 3 person crews), a school would have about a $500 added expense for the season. Per gender. Here in FL, I rarely call games with 2 on the crew at the varsity level. Last year, the school district experimented with cutting back to 3 mandatory games with 3 on the crew per gender. Back to normal this year.

The crowds, if you can call them that, are very small at many gyms. Especially, at girls games. However, I notice sponsor banners or signs in every gym, so I suspect that funds are available, but it is how they are spent that is the big issue. I hope at the subject school, that most of those "assistants" (who I suspect are assisting because their kid is on the team and they push for PT at every opportunity) are UNPAID. And even at that, most of them are OVERPAID.

No, I get the point clearly. I'm saying that in most places they don't just pay 10 people to stand around and do nothing. (And like I said, even if there are people standing around, MOST of the time you have no idea who is getting paid and who isn't) I also contend that in most places the table workers, supervisors, gate workers, etc. are not paid more than the officials. If they are in some places, that is the exception and not the rule.

I don't know about that. One of my daughter's friends gets $50/game to keep score at lower level football games. Who knows what they pay the varsity scorekeepers.

He was trail coming up the floor, the ball was on his side as it crossed the half-court line, and remained on his side of the floor until the illegal screen. Don't think there would be any reason for a rotation.

"You know guys, if it's that bad, get out of officiating and get into teaching so you can take advantage of all these perks. No one forces you to officiate. "

The above says you don't get the point.

Bingo.......quite secure in saying most additional 'help' are on par or close to ref pay, which is fine, just cut a little 'pork' and you have the real thing as far as officiating.

And then have no scorekeeper or clock operator, or not enough management on site in case anything goes wrong...or do you for some reason think that all those people should just volunteer their time?

Fwiw, around here the schools do not pay teachers extra for doing this stuff. There are paid security personnel, but they are not teachers. Teachers are "paid" by being given season passes for volunteering at a certain number of after school activities.

I think the issue is not whether you pay them, but that you pay people that are really under the wing of the officials, then pay those individuals more than the people you claim are so essential to the game. Now I have seen people out of the stands volunteer to work the table and often at youth tournaments that is exactly what they do. And not all those people are teachers. Many times they are parents or some person that was once close to the program or retired people and still go to games and give back to their school. If officials do not show up, they move the entire game or only play until the first guy they call shows up with a license. Then they claim we have to do all these other things to keep the kids safe. You do not pay the flight attendant more money than you do the pilot.

Peace

By the way, how did the game go?

I agree with how it played out on film, however, if it were 3man the T would be on L side, thus opposite table. The lead may have rotated over before the play started so you may still be correct.

Sure I get the point: You want them to cut pay or eliminate the amount of people at events to pay for a third official. My point is that they obviously don't care about a third official enough to do that. If they are getting along fine with two officials, why would they change?

Have you done a study on this? In this area of the country, I can tell you that this is completely false.

These are the same guys complaining about not being able to find an administrator or supervisor when something goes wrong and they need game management. They want to have it both ways.

You're right, they don't care. But our point is simply this: the money is there if the priorities are. Don't tell us it's about the money.

False dichotomy.

However, the coaches seem to want it both ways. We hear all the time, "someone's going to get hurt out there" on plays where we miss a foul because we can't get the right position with two officials.

I know for a fact I had a missed elbow to the face in one of my games this year. I was lead, and the ball was in my primary. Just as the players moved and changed my angles, the player with the ball pivoted and clocked the defender. I was sure it happened, but I couldn't see it because I was straightlined. It was exactly the play that the T would have had a great view of in his PCA.

An adminstrator or supervisor does not fit under the term 'pork.

I'm talking about the hall guard sitting at a small desk playing words with friends for a few hours before she drives home for 50, 60 bucks.

As Adam said, it's priorities, the money is there, just don't say we'd like to but can't afford it.

Great analogy

These are "voluntary" positions. People request to do these things. The rate of pay is the going rate and what you signed up for to work as the scorekeeper, timer, etc. These positions give staff members an opportunity to earn a few extra bucks without the headache of having to take the additional work home with you.

Don't complain about something you volunteered to do. If it is about the money, find another job where you can sit, enjoy a free sporting event, and have no real authority or responsibility to supervise people.

So either you have asked that lady how much she is being paid, or you are just throwing numbers around to make your point. Which is it?

And again...you think that those people should just volunteer their time? Or should take a pay cut?

I cannot speak for him specifically, but I have been told or even asked what we get paid and the people in those positions often will tell you what they are being paid. It happens a lot in football because you have more time to talk to chain gangs during games and they often have a lot to say and pay often comes up. It might come up in basketball when there are multiple games, but one game not much talk is associated about pay.

Peace

I've asked.................several schools and various people

No, they should be paid.

My arguement is schools crying poor to have a varsity game properly officiated by adding an additional official for say roughly sixty a game
when in some cases, staffing could be reduced and everybody wins.

I don't begrudge someone for making extra money after school or on a weekend.

The school I work for is very small. We only do 2 officials per night unless it is a 3 game night then there are 3 officials with each one setting out one game. Money is the main reason. The only people at our game who are getting paid are the officials $110 + milage(for one official), the scorekeeper at $15 per game, the timer at $15 per game and the Gatekeeper at $15 per game. The game management is the pricipal/athletic director. He gets no extra money for this. However his salary for AD was doubled this year to just a little over $3000. However you will see many teachers there who are not being paid and yes they will help out when needed. We are currently not replacing 4 teaching positions for the following year to keep from operating in the red. My school would notice the extra money for the 3rd official.

Not necessarily ... it's just as likely that the L would be on the same side that the T is on.