Politics of Basketball

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

It makes a helluva lot of difference to the coaches, players and fans. And if you're an official, it should make a difference to you. It reflects poorly upon the association, the assignor and the association members when officials are assigned to games who can't handle them.

If the coaches or athletic directors cared or thought they were not getting the best officials for their games they would hire a new association or assignment person for their games. Since that hasn't happened the schools must be satisfied with their work. Furthermore, it makes absolutely no difference to me if the assignment person does a poor job of putting the right officials on the right games. I don't have any input in those decisions, so I am not responsible for the outcome. My only responsibility is to work the games I am assigned and choose to accept to the best of my ability and in the most professional manner I am capable of.


That's why you work, just to get paid?


Yeah that is exactly why I work, because the money I get for doing an NAIA, D2 or D3 game 250 miles from my house makes this avocation an extremely profitable endeavor. My point was people get way to worked up about who is working the so-called big games. Is there any tangible benefit to working those games? No, there isn't. As I pointed out in my original post, the pay is the exact same and if you care about how you represent yourself, then you are going to work whatever game you are on to the best of your ability. So the only thing left is the ability to say I worked the insert big name here vs. insert big name here game. At the end of the day, bragging about what games you worked because they are considered to be important games is just about ego.

Wow. Unbelievable.

Exactly. It is unbelievable that you would be so worked up about something as insignificant as who is working the perceived big games rather than worrying about things you can control as an individual.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by johnny d

If the coaches or athletic directors cared or thought they were not getting the best officials for their games they would hire a new association or assignment person for their games. Since that hasn't happened the schools must be satisfied with their work.

Wrong again. Just because that's the way it might be in Illinois doesn't mean that's the way it is everywhere. In many areas, schools have no choice who they have assigning or working their games. The state association makes that decision.

Furthermore, it makes absolutely no difference to me if the assignment person does a poor job of putting the right officials on the right games. I don't have any input in those decisions, so I am not responsible for the outcome. My only responsibility is to work the games I am assigned and choose to accept to the best of my ability and in the most professional manner I am capable of.

Whether you have any input in those situations or not, it reflects poorly on you if you're a member of that association. Like it or not.

Yeah that is exactly why I work, because the money I get for doing an NAIA, D2 or D3 game 250 miles from my house makes this avocation an extremely profitable endeavor. My point was people get way to worked up about who is working the so-called big games. Is there any tangible benefit to working those games? No, there isn't. As I pointed out in my original post, the pay is the exact same and if you care about how you represent yourself, then you are going to work whatever game you are on to the best of your ability. So the only thing left is the ability to say I worked the insert big name here vs. insert big name here game. At the end of the day, bragging about what games you worked because they are considered to be important games is just about ego.

If that's true, they why don't you work 6th grade games every night instead of working "NAIA, D2 or D3 game 250 miles" away from your house. I smell BS.

Exactly. It is unbelievable that you would be so worked up about something as insignificant as who is working the perceived big games rather than worrying about things you can control as an individual.

No, what was unbelievable was your smart@ss remark to an official you don't even know about what you perceive as his desires. Very condescending to say the least.

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

If that's true, they why don't you work 6th grade games every night instead of working "NAIA, D2 or D3 game 250 miles" away from your house. I smell BS.



No, what was unbelievable was your smart@ss remark to an official you don't even know about what you perceive as his desires. Very condescending to say the least.

And yet not nearly as smart@ssed or condescending as your remarks above or many of your other posts. It is rather amusing that you so frequently choose to utilize the same devices you find upsetting in other's posts.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by johnny d

And yet not nearly as smart@ssed or condescending as your remarks above or many of your other posts. It is rather amusing that you so frequently choose to utilize the same devices you find upsetting in other's posts.

Whatever. Just pointing out the hypocrisy of your comments. You pop off about someone else worrying about not getting the big games, yet by your own comments your more concerned with traveling 250 miles from home to work a college game that staying near home and working any available game. Sorry if that offends you.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

... more concerned with traveling 250 miles from home to work a college game that staying near home and working any available game.

It's all about trade-offs. About twenty-five years ago, I made the decision to not pursue a college schedule (mostly due to travel distances, traffic congestion, winter weather, and young children at home), and instead, decided to fill in the free nights in my high school schedule with Catholic middle school games (closer than my almost all of my high school games).

I have no way to know how I would have done working college games, but from where I'm sitting, I have no regrets. Easy travel, good middle school basketball, good money, no politics, and I've made life-long friends in my Catholic middle school association.