Career No-nos.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Obviously not. And still does not make it right or give the right impression to those that are not officials.

Peace

Jeff, I'm with you on this issue, but what is expected, and therefore what is considered "professional", is going to vary by area. Where jar works, it's not unprofessional. The only people who notice are officials, and school staff. If the school staff sees it all the time, they won't know any different.

You're normally one of the biggest advocates for "do what's expected in your area," this is no exception.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Adam

Jeff, I'm with you on this issue, but what is expected, and therefore what is considered "professional", is going to vary by area. Where jar works, it's not unprofessional. The only people who notice are officials, and school staff. If the school staff sees it all the time, they won't know any different.

You're normally one of the biggest advocates for "do what's expected in your area," this is no exception.

And I do not buy the "Everyone does it" crap either. I would bet higher than 2 percent gets dressed in some fashion at the schools. Usually when people give that high a number they are trying to make it seem higher then what is really the case. I think that is often said like kids say that to justify bad behavior or to make it sound like people should not judge them negatively. Also it is not about just the administrators or coaches, it is about observers of the game or an events that have no direct influence on games.

And yes I recognize what people might do in their area when it comes to minor issues with mechanics or application of a rule or interpretations. This is not one of them.

Peace

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

And I do not buy the "Everyone does it" crap either. I would bet higher than 2 percent gets dressed in some fashion at the schools.

You would lose your bet.

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

And I do not buy the "Everyone does it" crap either. I would bet higher than 2 percent gets dressed in some fashion at the schools. Usually when people give that high a number they are trying to make it seem higher then what is really the case. I think that is often said like kids say that to justify bad behavior or to make it sound like people should not judge them negatively. Also it is not about just the administrators or coaches, it is about observers of the game or an events that have no direct influence on games.

And yes I recognize what people might do in their area when it comes to minor issues with mechanics or application of a rule or interpretations. This is not one of them.

Peace

WTF??

Coming from the guy who - for years and years - has used the "In my area, we do..." argument to justify his interpretations of things??

That is just downright hilarious.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

WTF??

Coming from the guy who - for years and years - has used the "In my area, we do..." argument to justify his interpretations of things??

That is just downright hilarious.

Almost all the time when I have talked about "In my area..." I was talking about assignments, association structure and what is required to be licensed. This is not in that category AT ALL!!!! So if I want to work the Mid-Suburban or North Suburban Conferences, there are no LOAs that is associated with those conferences. And if the assignors tried to make that requirement, they probably would have a harder time to get officials to work for them or the schools would see an entirely different group working their post season contests from what they saw in the regular season. It does not go over well here to never see playoff officials in regular season tournaments or conference games.

What you do professionally seems to be the same across the country for the most part. Are there things like the type of shirt you wear or the specific pants you wear might vary? Of course there are. There are over 5000 officials in the State of Illinois in basketball alone, I think there are going to be some differences in attitudes of all those individuals. Just under 200 assignments of that number will work the post season in a particular class and some officials work across classes in a given year. But there are common threads across those individuals that are assigned games and this would be one of them.

Yes, I think it looks unprofessional to go to a game dressed. The author of the list I posted basically said that, "It looks like you are going to a game from another game or about to leave to work another game." And other than JAR, I have never heard that was acceptable. Even in our area we have officials that do this, but when opportunities come open, many of those guys find themselves left out and some wonder why that is the case.

We are not talking about a mechanic where we blow the whistle or not blow the whistle on a throw-in. We are not talking about when you go to the scorer's table before the game and what you say in the captain's meeting. We are not talking about who calls a foul to the basket and how we communicate the ball going in the basket on the foul. Those are things you do based off of your "area." To me this is not one of them. Even if I did not have a specific place to dress, I am dressing somewhere before and after the damn game, PERIOD!!! And if a administrator from a school thinks that makes me a PITA, then I will be a PITA because I am not going to a game dressed. I might not be coming from a place where I can get dressed before the game. And I would not give a damn what others thought at the school, I am not coming dressed and getting my uniform soiled before the game by weather or something in the elements and then going to work that game with a mud stain or drink stain on my pants or shirt. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN with me, ANYWHERE!!!! Just like I am not going to a date or a job interview in jeans and a T-shirt, I am not working a game doing the same. I do not give a darn what everyone else does. And if I am with a woman that thinks that is acceptable, then I would not want to be with her in the first place.

Peace

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

"It looks like you are going to a game from another game or about to leave to work another game."

Not lately and not often, but I've done that too.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by just another ref

Not lately and not often, but I've done that too.

We have all done it on some level. It does not mean I have to advertise it to everyone either.

Peace

[BatteryPowered]

In my area we are specifically told it is better to get dressed at the game site. For this reason, on days where I have a game I put a sports coat in my car. I work for a steel manufacturing company and often need to go into the production area...therefore I wear jeans. It just looks nicer and comes across better with the sports coat.

As for jewelry, we are told it is acceptable to wear a wedding band during the game. I don't. Been married 36 years and the wife is secure enough for me to go sans ring for a few hours...and it isn't like any female at the game is going to come up and hit on me. Besides, players cannot wear them so I think we should not.

I do have to figure our how I am going to address my medic alert bracelet. I know I can tape it down with only the important part visible. I am looking for one that is part of a sweat band (just cannot seem to find them again). I guess I could make my partner(s) aware of the reason and not wear it during games...but don't really like that option because if something does happen (even if it is remote) they may not remember in all the commotion.

[Rooster]

Originally Posted by Adam

Jeff, I'm with you on this issue, but what is expected, and therefore what is considered "professional", is going to vary by area. Where jar works, it's not unprofessional. The only people who notice are officials, and school staff. If the school staff sees it all the time, they won't know any different.

I'll agree that everyone should do their Rome thing, and I'll also agree that few people other than officials would notice if someone came to the game dressed for the court, but I know I feel sharper when I arrive at a game site looking sharp. Additionally I doubt that someone who is not an official would think a dressed-down official is unprofessional or won't do a good job. I do think that an "outsider" will have the opposite impression with an official who is sharply dressed before a game. It's human nature to have unconscious impressions based on appearance and I'm going to control what I can control and put myself in the best position I can in order to get a positive first impression. I'm sureasheck not going to tell another adult what he or she should be wearing to a game but if someone asks, I'll share my experiences...

[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.

[Altor]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

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.

Another "Roman" difference.

The schools in my area usually have chairs set up away from the bleachers/crowd for the school administrators and the officials for the other game.

Of course, many of these schools are small enough that they do not have bleachers behind the goals, so there is usually room along one or both of these walls for a short row of chairs near the corner.

[APG]

To people that say you may not be afforded an area to dress...where do y'all usually hold a pregame? Where do y'all go at halftime? Where do you go after the game is finished? Or should I assume this usually isn't provided at these type of schools?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by APG

To people that say you may not be afforded an area to dress...where do y'all usually hold a pregame? Where do y'all go at halftime? Where do you go after the game is finished? Or should I assume this usually isn't provided at these type of schools?

All of our high schools have changing facilities, we show up in business casual, change into uniform, shower after the game, dress back into business casual, and head to a local adult beverage emporium (especially on a Friday night).

But when working with a female official in a high school game (no, we don't get dressed, undressed, and shower together), our pregame is usually held in a hall outside the gymnasium, halftime conference in the same place, and post game conference, also, in the same place. Then we each head back to our own locker rooms.

Public middle schools (assigned by our high school assigner). Most come dressed in uniform due to the early starting times (3:30 p.m.), and usual lack of changing facilities. I don't work public middle schools, but I'm guessing that storage of referee property, and conferences, take place in the physical education office, which, at least in these parts, usually doesn't have a usable shower. The shower, if there is one, is where the physical education teacher usually stores equipment for the classes, and most of these teachers don't appreciate it when you toss their dodge balls out of the shower to use it.

Catholic middle school games. Almost all of us come in uniform. Jackets, street shoes, etc., are usually stored in a locked classroom nearest to the gymnasium. Conferences are held there. In a few cases all of this takes place at, or behind, the table. Less formal pre, intermission, and post game conferences, not really mandatory in our Catholic school games. We get there about ten minutes before the prayer before the start the first game, shoot the breeze with each other, work our games (usually multiple games), wait around long enough to make sure that everything is copacetic, grab our bags, grab our checks, and hit the road.