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Post by 1belowthepressbox on May 19, 2019 20:40:35 GMT -5
Unfortunately, you can only pick one right?
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Post by maplecityjake on May 20, 2019 11:37:19 GMT -5
No doubt I voted parents. They are out of control.
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Post by oldno72 on May 20, 2019 17:10:38 GMT -5
Speaking as a retired official, DEFINATELY parents
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Post by wellingtontoyman on May 25, 2019 13:04:42 GMT -5
I could see saying parents in Basketball or Baseball but football? Not sure how many fields where a referee is hearing a fan or parent screaming at them. (Maybe a Coach)
30 years of watching and being involved in high school football I would say the decline in quality referees!
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Post by oldno72 on May 25, 2019 15:09:33 GMT -5
I could see saying parents in Basketball or Baseball but football? Not sure how many fields where a referee is hearing a fan or parent screaming at them. (Maybe a Coach) 30 years of watching and being involved in high school football I would say the decline in quality referees! Speaking as one who has officiated for 20 years. Most games do not have many people attending. We hear your comments, especially on lower level games. I have personally been chased out to my car after a game by irate parents. I had one parent ( who also was an AD) come out on the field during the game. I have been called all sorts of nasty names during the contest. I have seen parents make physical threats to officials. On more than one occasion, we were greatful we had police escort after a game. So don’t tell me that fan behavior is not a problem. As for the quality of officiating on the high school level, it is much better than it was in the past. Officials receive much training, get evaluated on a regular basis, and perform at a much higher level than in the past. Though mistakes are made, officials who do not rate highly on a regular basis do not receive contracts for varsity or playoff games. One final comment. Watching from the stands is different than being on the field. Most fans do not even know the high school rules, since they are much different than the College to professional game. I invite you, or anyone, to take the class and become an official. There is a severe shortage of officials and after doing a few games, you would have a much higher regard for what we do.
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Post by heavydrop7 on May 25, 2019 16:49:45 GMT -5
I could see saying parents in Basketball or Baseball but football? Not sure how many fields where a referee is hearing a fan or parent screaming at them. (Maybe a Coach) 30 years of watching and being involved in high school football I would say the decline in quality referees! Speaking as one who has officiated for 20 years. Most games do not have many people attending. We hear your comments, especially on lower level games. I have personally been chased out to my car after a game by irate parents. I had one parent ( who also was an AD) come out on the field during the game. I have been called all sorts of nasty names during the contest. I have seen parents make physical threats to officials. On more than one occasion, we were greatful we had police escort after a game. So don’t tell me that fan behavior is not a problem. As for the quality of officiating on the high school level, it is much better than it was in the past. Officials receive much training, get evaluated on a regular basis, and perform at a much higher level than in the past. Though mistakes are made, officials who do not rate highly on a regular basis do not receive contracts for varsity or playoff games. One final comment. Watching from the stands is different than being on the field. Most fans do not even know the high school rules, since they are much different than the College to professional game. I invite you, or anyone, to take the class and become an official. There is a severe shortage of officials and after doing a few games, you would have a much higher regard for what we do. I think refs should be paid more, and a police escort should be a must. I’ve seen a couple situations where a police escort was used to hastily whisk refs away after a heated game. I will agree that most fans do not know or keep up with rule changes especially in high school football, I hear it in the stands for 10+ weeks every Friday night in the fall . This is not going to change . What can change is the pay rate and the guaranteed safety of the referees . Any referee whining about parents after that can either suck it up and quit whining or quit.
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Post by oldno72 on May 25, 2019 21:24:31 GMT -5
FYI. Depending on the league an official gets between $60 to $70 for a varsity contest. Out of that fee, the official has to cover their transportation to and from the game, their uniform and equipment, licensing costs, training, etc. A typical Friday would start between 3 to 4 pm, depending how far away the game was (hopefully less than 2 hours away). We are required to be on site an hour and a half before kick. Games last longer, so you usually get home around midnight. Thus, you make less than minimum wage on a per hour basis.
As for complaining about the comments from the stands, we usually joked about them after the game. You have to laugh when some loudmouth makes a fool out of himself by his lack of knowledge regarding the rules. The fans do not bother us. Blowing a call does. There is no worse feeling than screwing up a call. You just pray that the mistake does not effect the outcome of the game.
Most officials do it for the love of the game. More money would be nice, but the truth is that many officials retire because of the time commitment, and the aging body (The majority are over 50). Most put up the the increasing amount of abuse that comes with the position, but it does get old when your body hurts the next day.
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Post by 1belowthepressbox on May 27, 2019 7:53:45 GMT -5
I think the over-obsession in the bleachers is ruining the game. The complaining is uncomfortable and uneducated. It is the reason for multiple things in my opinion. -Lack of officials: they do a way better job than people think they do. Leave them alone for cripes sake. - Coaches turnover: bad teams can't keep a Coach it seems longer than 3/4 years. Something bigger is wrong with your program if you are constantly losing. Quit calling for the head of your coach. Your team has won 3 or less games before him in the past ten years, changing now isn't going to matter. Focus on fixing the other issues! -Player participation: Simple. We suck, I'm not playing. Mom and dad said it's not worth it. Coach doesn't know what he's doing. Don't care if you play or not. Just to name a few....
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Post by Willard Fillmore on May 27, 2019 11:51:52 GMT -5
FYI. Depending on the league an official gets between $60 to $70 for a varsity contest. Out of that fee, the official has to cover their transportation to and from the game, their uniform and equipment, licensing costs, training, etc. A typical Friday would start between 3 to 4 pm, depending how far away the game was (hopefully less than 2 hours away). We are required to be on site an hour and a half before kick. Games last longer, so you usually get home around midnight. Thus, you make less than minimum wage on a per hour basis. As for complaining about the comments from the stands, we usually joked about them after the game. You have to laugh when some loudmouth makes a fool out of himself by his lack of knowledge regarding the rules. The fans do not bother us. Blowing a call does. There is no worse feeling than screwing up a call. You just pray that the mistake does not effect the outcome of the game. Most officials do it for the love of the game. More money would be nice, but the truth is that many officials retire because of the time commitment, and the aging body (The majority are over 50). Most put up the the increasing amount of abuse that comes with the position, but it does get old when your body hurts the next day. Assuming officials claim the money received as income. As the IRS says they must do. They can deduct the cost of transportation, uniforms and equipment, licensing and training.
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Post by dude on May 27, 2019 12:23:40 GMT -5
FYI. Depending on the league an official gets between $60 to $70 for a varsity contest. Out of that fee, the official has to cover their transportation to and from the game, their uniform and equipment, licensing costs, training, etc. A typical Friday would start between 3 to 4 pm, depending how far away the game was (hopefully less than 2 hours away). We are required to be on site an hour and a half before kick. Games last longer, so you usually get home around midnight. Thus, you make less than minimum wage on a per hour basis. As for complaining about the comments from the stands, we usually joked about them after the game. You have to laugh when some loudmouth makes a fool out of himself by his lack of knowledge regarding the rules. The fans do not bother us. Blowing a call does. There is no worse feeling than screwing up a call. You just pray that the mistake does not effect the outcome of the game. Most officials do it for the love of the game. More money would be nice, but the truth is that many officials retire because of the time commitment, and the aging body (The majority are over 50). Most put up the the increasing amount of abuse that comes with the position, but it does get old when your body hurts the next day. Most officials I know work Wednesday or Thursday as well as Fridays and even Saturdays. Other than the Friday contest, they are local games. So an active officials can make over $200 a week on football. As for the transportation, I know many crews that will carpool all together but have been told that each will claim the distance on their taxes from all 10 weeks of regular season. With the recent rule changes, many schools have seen shorter games from running clocks so the games are over quicker. Using your travel time limits and the pay scale you mentioned, most officials can make over $10/hr if you include drive time. (unless you are a professional driver most people do not get paid for their travels) BUT, if you do earn somewhere between minimum wage ans $10 per hour during a football game it would make you the highest paid person on that field for each hour of work you have done. I assume that makes you happy to know.
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Post by oldno72 on May 27, 2019 20:08:43 GMT -5
My shameless plug,,,,,
I encourage many to go into officiating. There is a real shortage of officials, for all sports. We desperately need younger officials. True, you will take a lot of crap, and you won’t make much money, but there is no better place to experience high school sports than on the field, court, diamond, etc.
Currently, many lower level games go with 2 or 3 person crews, instead of the recommended 4. This is much harder on the official, and also increases the risk of scewing something up an injury. The only thing that has kept games from being canceled is that many schools are not fielding middle school or freshman teams. But that is a topic for a different thread.
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Post by Willard Fillmore on May 27, 2019 22:22:09 GMT -5
FYI. Depending on the league an official gets between $60 to $70 for a varsity contest. Out of that fee, the official has to cover their transportation to and from the game, their uniform and equipment, licensing costs, training, etc. A typical Friday would start between 3 to 4 pm, depending how far away the game was (hopefully less than 2 hours away). We are required to be on site an hour and a half before kick. Games last longer, so you usually get home around midnight. Thus, you make less than minimum wage on a per hour basis. As for complaining about the comments from the stands, we usually joked about them after the game. You have to laugh when some loudmouth makes a fool out of himself by his lack of knowledge regarding the rules. The fans do not bother us. Blowing a call does. There is no worse feeling than screwing up a call. You just pray that the mistake does not effect the outcome of the game. Most officials do it for the love of the game. More money would be nice, but the truth is that many officials retire because of the time commitment, and the aging body (The majority are over 50). Most put up the the increasing amount of abuse that comes with the position, but it does get old when your body hurts the next day. Most officials I know work Wednesday or Thursday as well as Fridays and even Saturdays. Other than the Friday contest, they are local games. So an active officials can make over $200 a week on football. As for the transportation, I know many crews that will carpool all together but have been told that each will claim the distance on their taxes from all 10 weeks of regular season. With the recent rule changes, many schools have seen shorter games from running clocks so the games are over quicker. Using your travel time limits and the pay scale you mentioned, most officials can make over $10/hr if you include drive time. (unless you are a professional driver most people do not get paid for their travels) BUT, if you do earn somewhere between minimum wage ans $10 per hour during a football game it would make you the highest paid person on that field for each hour of work you have done. I assume that makes you happy to know. Many individuals officiate/referee 12 months out of the year. Football, soccer or volleyball in the fall. Boys AND girls basketball in the winter. Baseball and Softball during the spring and summer.
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Post by kniteflyer on Jun 2, 2019 9:27:21 GMT -5
Speaking as one who has officiated for 20 years. Most games do not have many people attending. We hear your comments, especially on lower level games. I have personally been chased out to my car after a game by irate parents. I had one parent ( who also was an AD) come out on the field during the game. I have been called all sorts of nasty names during the contest. I have seen parents make physical threats to officials. On more than one occasion, we were greatful we had police escort after a game. So don’t tell me that fan behavior is not a problem. As for the quality of officiating on the high school level, it is much better than it was in the past. Officials receive much training, get evaluated on a regular basis, and perform at a much higher level than in the past. Though mistakes are made, officials who do not rate highly on a regular basis do not receive contracts for varsity or playoff games. One final comment. Watching from the stands is different than being on the field. Most fans do not even know the high school rules, since they are much different than the College to professional game. I invite you, or anyone, to take the class and become an official. There is a severe shortage of officials and after doing a few games, you would have a much higher regard for what we do. I think refs should be paid more, and a police escort should be a must. I’ve seen a couple situations where a police escort was used to hastily whisk refs away after a heated game. I will agree that most fans do not know or keep up with rule changes especially in high school football, I hear it in the stands for 10+ weeks every Friday night in the fall . This is not going to change . What can change is the pay rate and the guaranteed safety of the referees . Any referee whining about parents after that can either suck it up and quit whining or quit. How about after ANY game. I had an irate Mother follow me to the car after a 14-0 season opening loss last year in softball. The final play of the game was a 2-strike swing where the pitch (swung at) also HIT the batter. That's a clear cut DEAD BALL - STRIKE 3 - BATTER IS OUT - and in this case - BALLGAME. I was called out for my "poor sportsmanship" for "ending a game THAT way." What "way" was that? Parents! Further to that end.....if you've ever been to a high school basketball game, it's not hard to tell who the guys tooting the whistles will be.....they're the guys (or gals) that are pulling the bag on wheels up to the door/through the school like they're about to board a plane. In reverse, after the game. So, I'm at the STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT THIS YEAR (2019)....after a game, and the referees are WALKING DOWN THE RAMP toward the Bill Davis (baseball stadium, next to the Schott) parking lot. Right through the lingering fans of 1 or both teams that just played, through the fans of both teams that are about to play, and also through the casual fans just there for the weekend. NOT AN OHSAA staffer in sight. No cops. No nothing. And the OHSAA wants more people to get involved, yet they don't have the good sense enough to look after the ones that are officiating their biggest games? Being a fellow official, I walked with the 3 guys, and had a buddy tag along....just in case. One of the gents said that this crew was "treated better" at their District and Regional contests.
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Post by dude on Jun 2, 2019 10:09:38 GMT -5
Any ref that works the state tournament has parking credentials and access to enter in and out of the lower, which is were they take their gear. IF they walked out with the fans and parked with the fans it was by choice or some other uncommon reason. Plus it normally takes an official longer to leave a game than it does the fans as they receive some form of hospitality after a game.
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Post by oldno72 on Jun 2, 2019 16:23:13 GMT -5
First, never park where there is a sign that says “reserved for officials” unless you were looking for a new set of tires anyway 😃
Seriously parents and others sometimes stick around for a while. I have had numerous comments made to our crew as we walk out to our cars. Also we always walk together just in case
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Post by dude on Jun 2, 2019 16:47:20 GMT -5
First, never park where there is a sign that says “reserved for officials” unless you were looking for a new set of tires anyway 😃 Seriously parents and others sometimes stick around for a while. I have had numerous comments made to our crew as we walk out to our cars. Also we always walk together just in case I was speaking of the state tournament. Officials are in a parking lot typically reserved for OHSAA officials, VIPs and even the parking passes for coaches of the games. Nothing I have ever seen is marked "reserved for officials". Also, before this year, the state games were always cleared after the games ended so staying around was not an option. This past season ran 2 games in a semi final session but by the time the officials would be showered, changed, received their hospitality and made their way up to ground level to walk out, the next game would have begun so it's hard to think their would be large amount of fans for the next game coming in. I'm not saying it didn't happen. Only that the scenario described would not be the design of the weekend.
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