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Officiating shortage solution thesis


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@FrankNicodemusSo if I may ask, what is the accountability system for a referee? If a ref is throwing unsportsmanlike flags every single week, does anyone ever ask him, or her, "why?" 

If there is no consequence, why do they care if a coach yells at them? They make their money, get in their car, and they drive home. They'll do the same thing next week. I doubt they will ever get hit with several emails the next morning from parents. I think a football coach probably has to deal with more stress than a back or field judge.

However, it is really bad to cuss at an official. It is really bad to call them mean names. It is horrible and, in my opinion, should be illegal to ever touch a referee. No one has the right to treat another person like that. 

I've officiated before and acknowledge that it is really hard. 

 

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@PP1 I might ramble but when don't I ramble.....

The accountability question I realize is a tough nut to crack and for everyone to understand.  I will say it a few ways.

The main Topic Thread was how to solve an Officiating shortage crisis......Without supply I agree it is very hard to hold Refs accountable for their poor performance.  Like I have said in maybe 1 or a few posts, without more of a supply of officials you will have poor officials that should be pushed out or held more accountable still in the game.......or we might be subjected to not having games at all.  Unfortunately, we are in a period of time where we have to deal with poor performing refs or the alternative is NO REFS.  Do you wanna play a game?

Like I said before its like a QB that throws 4 Ints in a game, do you have anybody that you could replace him with on your roster to continue or are you stuck b/c you don't have anyone else that knows how to run the plays so you are painted in a corner to just bite the bullet and move on with this guy that keeps throwing it to the other team.

Now onto a slight tangent regarding your comment.....Accountability.

From personal experience b/c I can't think of a sport at least the major ones (basketball, football, soccer, baseball) that only is being officiated with ONE OFFICIAL, there ABSOLUTELY is accountability within the ranks of your crew.  The last thing anyone on the officiating crew wants to have is to make the head guy look bad.  The famous last words that I always have heard and I use it myself when I am the main official for a match is "Don't screw up and make me look good!"  If part of my crew is having a bad day (game) we will be having a conversation at either a break in action or at halftime or post game (or in football and soccer during the game using your mics).  If I believe that the issue is a bigger one, than I will be having a conversation with the Powers to Be in the association to make sure they either get someone to have a conversation with the official in question and until that official seems to be doing better in games they will be assigned maybe D, E, or F level games.

Another personal experience I had a few years back, I was assigned a Top Level game by the assignor (who I hadn't worked with before) and before he assigned me the game he apparently did some back ground checking with a Top Official who I had worked with before to ask his opinion to see if I was up for the challenge to Officiate that game.  So another angle about accountability, from bottom to top people in the reffing/officiating circles don't want "egg" on their face.  They will put forth (at least the good associations) their best effort to make sure you don't have in your opinion the refs that are just clocking in and clocking out of their assignment.

Again, to repeat my original post to the Officials:  "Don't be that Lazy Official".....but until we increase the supply then those "Lazy Officials" which I defined in my original post will still be part of the resources unfortunately the assignors will need to utilize to make sure ALL games are covered.

End of rambling for now.....WHO DEY!!!!

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On 2/12/2022 at 7:03 PM, PP1 said:

@FrankNicodemusSo if I may ask, what is the accountability system for a referee? If a ref is throwing unsportsmanlike flags every single week, does anyone ever ask him, or her, "why?" 

If there is no consequence, why do they care if a coach yells at them? They make their money, get in their car, and they drive home. They'll do the same thing next week. I doubt they will ever get hit with several emails the next morning from parents. I think a football coach probably has to deal with more stress than a back or field judge.

However, it is really bad to cuss at an official. It is really bad to call them mean names. It is horrible and, in my opinion, should be illegal to ever touch a referee. No one has the right to treat another person like that. 

I've officiated before and acknowledge that it is really hard. 

 

Every game is being graded at least in the CKFOA.

After every game you send the assignor a report. Coaches also do (I think), if there was an issue from the coach, Mr. Tackett will get with the assignor and review the clip.

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I have been on both sides and everyone wants to make money while working. It costs more to do business these days for both the official and the schools. Gas is at an all time high.  We lose several good officials each year to college as they pay more. When I was running a school I could do a game for around $300. No way now as you have to pay everyone and have security. I think it would cost over $1000 to open the doors for a game these days.  Hard decisions have to be made. Glad I am retired and watch ESPN most nights?

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  • 1 month later...
On 2/18/2022 at 12:18 PM, Cary Grant said:

I have been on both sides and everyone wants to make money while working. It costs more to do business these days for both the official and the schools. Gas is at an all time high.  We lose several good officials each year to college as they pay more. When I was running a school I could do a game for around $300. No way now as you have to pay everyone and have security. I think it would cost over $1000 to open the doors for a game these days.  Hard decisions have to be made. Glad I am retired and watch ESPN most nights?

1300.00 just to have a game now. More if you can’t find gate workers and have to pay for them. 

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  • 2 months later...

From College, High School, and Youth Baseball Umpire Greg Spencer on Facebook:

Had another reminder this morning as to why there is a shortage of sports officials.

If you're a coach and/or a parent (and I had a husband/wife double team this morning) and you continue to act like (an idiot) then don't (complain) later when the league says "sorry, no games due to no officials." And, trust me, this is already happening. I worked a game by myself this morning because there weren't enough officials so it's already here.

As some of you know, I call high school and college baseball. I can't tell you how much better those coaches and fans are than youth parents. 

Yes, high school and college coaches sometimes bark at me (and some are reading this and chuckling right now) but it never gets worse than that. And if I can't handle that I need to get out of the game. That's just part of it (and frankly, I enjoy it). 

YOUTH PARENTS are KILLING the game. Coaches lose their (mind) over a block/charge call in basketball in a 9U game. The coaches wife then approaches me after the game while I getting dressed to leave and DEMANDS my name so she can "report me." Uh no, Karen, you're not getting my name. Why was she wanting to report me? I wasn't calling it "both ways." Good lord. Come up with something new. 

I once had a dad follow me after a game and said "you wanna take it outside?" Fortunately, his son talked him off the ledge. Imagine being an adult and your young child having to talk you out of a whipping.

Do all officials know what they're doing in  youth sports? Of course not. Mistakes made? Sure. But you lose your mind over a foul call? Get your act together. You're embarrassing your kids.

So for $30 that's the (garbage) I put up with in youth basketball. 99% of the kids are great. It's the parents, folks. It's you. You're killing the game and increasing the chances of there being no official for your next game.

Thank God I don't do many of these games. Get me back to high school/college coaches ALL DAY LONG.

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The Nkyfl and NKOA started the NKOA Academy. We have been signing up high school and college students, recent graduates, and others. The Nkyfl is supplying Shirt, shorts, flag, hat and whistle. The NKOA will do the training. The younger students will be taught as an umpire. Currently 50 people have signed up. Tonight I will be at the all star practice talking to the 65 players involved. $40 a game, Saturday and Sunday both have 3-4 games. There is  Zero tolerance policy on parents or coach who gets on one of these students. Message me if you need more details. 

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  • 8 months later...

Commissioner Tackett shared this on Facebook yesterday:

Brian Williams - I officiated my last event yesterday. People keep asking me why….you’re too young, you’re one of our best (I’m not saying it….others are, I’m not pulling a [redacted] here.) At the end of the day, this is why.…it’s a second job, and it’s one where I get treated with less respect than I do at my actual job. And I don’t need the second job. When I started I was eager to learn, scooped up every game I could. And yes, back then there were a bunch of coaches and parents who quite frankly s u c k e d, thought their kids were Tom Brady’s and they little Belichicks. But it’s just so much worse now, and it’s no longer fun. It used to be hard, hard work, but it was fun. It’s not fun anymore. Every time I get to a venue all I think about is when this is going to end. And it’s not fair to me or the kids. So that’s why I’m done. As for whose fault it is….it’s all of us. It’s the officials organizations in Massachusetts allowing coaches and whackjob parents get away with what they get away with. It’s the coaches acting the way they do, which the whackjob parents see and they then think it’s OK to misbehave. And that trickles down to the kids too. Are we perfect? No, of course not. Do we know more than you, Jimmy and Janey in the stands? A million times yes. And that goes for most coaches as well. There are a lot of great coaches who bark, but do it respectfully and understand how hard our job is. I’m thankful for every one of them. I’m also thankful for every parent who has thanked me and my crew for our work after an event. True story, I was officiating the New Englands last year in Providence and I was waiting with the rest of the crew for an elevator to head downstairs to our locker room when a woman came up to us and said very simply ‘thank you for being here’ and I nearly broke down crying. As powerful as that was, it shouldn’t be that way. The extra money has always been nice, but it’s not nearly enough to stay. The love for the sport is not enough to make it worth it anymore when we deal with what we deal with. I have other things to do, things I would’ve liked to have done but couldn’t because of my officiating obligations. The cons outweigh the pros at this point. I will take tons of great memories from the last 20 years with me….but I’m out.

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We are speeding towards having no officials at all, and I don't think we're too far from it. IMO, the people who are responsible for making changes needed for this to improve:

 

1. Parents

2. Coaches

3. Game Managers

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19 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

We are speeding towards having no officials at all, and I don't think we're too far from it. IMO, the people who are responsible for making changes needed for this to improve:

 

1. Parents

2. Coaches

3. Game Managers

I am with you on this topic.  Each sport needs to find a way to get recent high school and college grads to give back by becoming an official.  Perhaps classes could be offered at the high school and collegiate level that include the actual tests so these kids are ready to go.  I would also include the AD in the people listed.  Hold meeting at beginning of each sport season with coaches and parents to explain expectations then hold them to it.  Just some random thoughts.

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1 minute ago, Jack of all Trades said:

I am with you on this topic.  Each sport needs to find a way to get recent high school and college grads to give back by becoming an official.  Perhaps classes could be offered at the high school and collegiate level that include the actual tests so these kids are ready to go.  I would also include the AD in the people listed.  Hold meeting at beginning of each sport season with coaches and parents to explain expectations then hold them to it.  Just some random thoughts.

AD's would be in my "Game Managers" group, but I definitely agree that they are responsible. 

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In my experience the ADs have done just fine (NKY) but there is always a few who don't seem to care how their coaches act and a few who act the worst when their team gets "hosed". I sit at my sons Football, basketball and baseball games and hear the fans tearing into the officials. I simply ask them "They need more refs, why don't you sign up?". Obviously we all know the answer to that question 100% of the time. I also get "If they can't do a good job they shouldn't be out there". To that I say if the ones you don't think are good enough are not out there we'd have 2 officials instead of 5 for out football games. Players usually act like high school kids and don't really act out unless they see their coach acting out and complaining constantly.

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On 3/1/2023 at 11:17 AM, theguru said:

The first thing I would do is double the pay and I don't want to hear about the costs, figure it out before there is nothing left. 

I guess I missed this thread being resurrected earlier this week.

Is your hope for doubling the pay the following:

  •  Hopefully get more people interested in officiating
  • Make the current population of officials feel like they need to invest more time on being a better official
  • It will make being verbally (and hopefully not physically) assaulted day in and day out doing their games justifiable since they are getting paid more

It be great if we only had to solve the first 2 points which money wouldn't hurt, but its the 3rd bullet that money can't solve in my opinion.  It must stop and if it happens it MUST be dealt with immediately.

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