Career No-nos.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rooster

... arrive at a game site looking sharp.

It is our local custom that varsity officials arrive at the site in time for the junior varsity jump ball, observe the first half of the junior varsity game, join in the junior varsity halftime locker room conference, and observe the third period the junior varsity game, before heading into the locker room to get changed for the varsity game.

Junior varsity officials are encouraged to stay for, at least, the first half of the varsity game, and join the varsity halftime locker room conference.

All of this observing is for both educational, and collegial rating, purposes.

We believe that it's more professional to sit in the bleachers, surrounded by fans, parents, school staff, etc., in business casual street clothes rather than in uniform. There's certainly no way that anyone could accuse any members of my local board of a "get in, get out, get paid" mentality. We've been told by many athletic directors, and a few coaches, that they see us observe each other for educational purposes, that they see us, in the bleachers, dressed professionally in business casual street clothes, and that they really like what they see.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by just another ref

98% of the officials here come to the game dressed and ready to work. That's at all levels, jr. high through varsity. You honestly think anybody here is observing this and thinking: "Boy, this is unprofessional!" ?

They certainly are in every major metropolitan area where I've worked.

[Moosie74]

Originally Posted by just another ref

98% of the officials here come to the game dressed and ready to work. That's at all levels, jr. high through varsity. You honestly think anybody here is observing this and thinking: "Boy, this is unprofessional!" ?

A couple of years ago our association got multiple complaints of officials for middle school games wearing jeans, tracksuits, etc to the game site and the athletic directors and coaches did not like it.

Business casual should be the minimum for Jr High games, tie and jacket for varsity.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Moosie74

A couple of years ago our association got multiple complaints of officials for middle school games wearing jeans, tracksuits, etc to the game site and the athletic directors and coaches did not like it.

Business casual should be the minimum for Jr High games, tie and jacket for varsity.

Seriously? That standard is utterly ridiculous ....both for the JH games AND the varsity games. Unless those schools are paying those officials 5-10x what they probably are paying, they need to get a life.

IF I were working middle school games, there would be zero chance I'm going to the game in anything but what I wore to work that day. On the weekend, I'm probably going dressed.

In my professional work environment where I've been for over 20 years and pays a heck of a lot more for my time than officiating, clean/neat jeans are the norm and shorts are even common in the summer. T-shirts and polo's are just as common as any other kind of shirt. If someone is wearing a tie and jacket, it is either for a funeral or an interview (and that would be the extreme).

My upper end is business casual and that is not every game. I own just precisely one jacket that I only wear on very limited occasions. It is unreasonable to expect a person to buy a new wardrobe for traveling to work a game, particularly a low paying jobs such as MS officiating, only to change into the real work clothes as soon as they get there.

To insist on jackets and ties is, if you get down to the underlying motives, a different issue. Anyone who is doing that is really just trying to make their job seem more important that it really is.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Moosie74

A couple of years ago our association got multiple complaints of officials for middle school games wearing jeans, tracksuits, etc to the game site and the athletic directors and coaches did not like it.

Business casual should be the minimum for Jr High games, tie and jacket for varsity.

Here, high school games, business casual. Although one can get away with wearing jeans to Freshman and JV games. Varsity games, business casual at minimum.
Middle school games, they jeans are fine.

Track suits, sweat pants, shredded and holey jeans? Not at any level.

Below MS level and off season, I'm showing up dressed (with my shirt in my bag).

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Adam

Here, high school games, business casual. Although one can get away with wearing jeans to Freshman and JV games. Varsity games, business casual at minimum.
Middle school games, they jeans are fine.

Track suits, sweat pants, shredded and holey jeans? Not at any level.

Below MS level and off season, I'm showing up dressed (with my shirt in my bag).

Saturday morning games (usually JV or Sophomore B) are the only days that you see it common for people to show up in anything less then standard. The key is getting there on time, but still assignors do not want people to show up dressed. Keep in mind when I say this, that means you could come in parts of your uniform under clothes, but you do not tell everyone you have your uniform on by wearing black pants or officiating shoes. So a "track suit" might be what some wear.

I do not work MS or JH games anymore, most of the time people are there as a body to make money. No one cares about those games and what you wear here honestly. People who assign those games also have little association with high school games and many would not care what their requirements are. I just know when I worked those games I came in other clothes then my uniform. And if I worked a game today I still would show up in regular clothes.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Saturday morning games are the only days that you see it common for people to show up in anything less then standard.

Oddly, it's just the opposite here (although not morning, usually afternoon). Saturdays are usually prep school assignments here in Connecticut. Our local board traditionally gives a slightly higher value to prep school games than to public, or Catholic, high school games. Varsity officials assigned are usually among our best guys. Junior varsity officials are usually varsity officials who are willing to work few junior varsity games. Nobody ever shows up to a prep school assignment in jeans, it's always business casual, and some officials, especially the older veterans, will occasionally wear a tie, and jacket, to a prep school game.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... MS or JH games ... No one cares about those games ... People who assign those games also have little association with high school games.

Yet another example of "When in Rome ...". Most public middle school games are assigned by the same assigner who assigns our high school games. These assignments are treated like any other subvarsity assignment for the same pay ($58.21 last season). Our assigner expects the officials to follow the same guidelines for a public middle school game as for any other local board high school assignment (except for adjustments due to the lack of changing facilities in many of these middle schools). These officials are rated, and ranked, as any other subvarsity official, and the number, and level, of their assignment, as well as their eventual promotion to varsity, depends on these ratings, and rankings.

Note: Catholic middle school games are assigned by another assigner, and are treated completely separately from our high school, and public middle school games, in much the same manner as stated by JRutledge in his post above.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by just another ref

10. Inappropriate, as I understand it, varies widely according to area and level.

11. If everybody else where you are does it, it must be all right.

Regarding 11, I would agree, so long as everyone else in your area is getting games that you want. It's possible, for example, that everyone else in your area is doing it, but no one in your area is getting state level playoff games. Or, perhaps, only the 2% who dress in the locker room are getting playoff games.

Or, it truly doesn't matter in your entire state.

[Bad Zebra]

I'd add another one that I've observed more frequently in the past 5 years:

Engage in inappropriate behavior outside the lines.

Pretty broad I know but I've seen the following:
Officials charged with DUI's
Officials arrested for marijuana posession
Officials charged with domestic violence
Officials banned from school grounds for various reasons
Officials arrested for assault
Officials charged with indecent exposure

I used to believe sports officials were some of the highest character people around. Maybe it's because I'm in Florida and this place attracts whackos, but it seems like I see these occur more often than would be expected. In every instance noted above, the offending official ended up losing out on their schedule or being asked to leave the association, whether or not they were found guilty or charges dismissed.

[ballgame99]

I've got an addition; Visable tattoos.

I've got one that comes halfway down my bicep on one arm and wear an undershirt to cover it when I'm working. I would love to sleeve my tattoo out, but I'm pretty sure it would limit my options for reffing.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Moosie74

Tie and jacket for varsity.

Wow? Back when I started, thirty-two years ago, it was encouraged, but not dictated, that we wear ties, but never jackets. We've evolved since then to business casual.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

I'd add another one that I've observed more frequently in the past 5 years:

Engage in inappropriate behavior outside the lines.

Pretty broad I know but I've seen the following:
Officials charged with DUI's
Officials arrested for marijuana posession
Officials charged with domestic violence
Officials banned from school grounds for various reasons
Officials arrested for assault
Officials charged with indecent exposure

I used to believe sports officials were some of the highest character people around. Maybe it's because I'm in Florida and this place attracts whackos, but it seems like I see these occur more often than would be expected. In every instance noted above, the offending official ended up losing out on their schedule or being asked to leave the association, whether or not they were found guilty or charges dismissed.

Which is total bullshit.

[Bad Zebra]

Originally Posted by Matt

Which is total bullshit.

Maybe so...but it's all about perception and credibility. Based on the arrest...those officials are usually blackballed by AD's regardless of outcome and the association is usually left with an unassignable official. I've seen it three times in 12 seasons.

I appreciate your strong disagreement but ya might choose a different decriptive term.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Matt

Which is total bullshit.

Not being found guilty doesn't mean they didn't do it. Perhaps they did but worked out a plea to not go to court. That doesn't make it right just because they got off with it. Perhaps in the above case, every one of them actually did what they were charged with.