Why so many penalties,I'm sure the coaches stress the importance of a penalty free game is much easier to win
Penalties
- Thread starter charlie22650
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I hate to say it this way, older more mature officials have retired. Some associations are bringing on board officials who just don’t have a clue what they are doing. Several of those who would have been JV officials are now calling varsity games with little or no experience. Even going as far as calling Rec league or little league on Saturday, JV mid week, and Varsity on Friday. All about money. Now in my day I had some serious conversations with officials on Friday nights, they listened, and we walked away doing our jobs. Now some of these 2023 officials don’t know the rules or simply don’t care. They have the power and don’t care to exert it. Now not all are bad but those who are stand out like a sore thumb. Once again it seems like if a person can breathe we will put a stripe shirt on them on Friday nights a just say get it done.
Huge official shortage. I know of some games that have already been moved to Thursday in order to ensure that officials are available.
I agree with the statement about penalties being committed. IMO, the game play has been relatively sloppy across the board and the officials honestly could have called many more than they have. It’s a thankless job and I know at times I am not a good fan since I don’t mind being loud from the stands or fence. My gripe is not with them calling penalties it always is with consistency. Like an umpire in baseball, they set a tone (strike zone for baseball) and the coaches and players can adjust if they stay consistent. When they are chasing what is being called that gets frustrating for all parties involved.
There are several local officials that do both and generally do great. I would also argue that one of the most consistent officials I have seen in the last 3-4 years is a young man that only does JV and Rec. so there are good ones but there are damn sure fewer of them.
There are several local officials that do both and generally do great. I would also argue that one of the most consistent officials I have seen in the last 3-4 years is a young man that only does JV and Rec. so there are good ones but there are damn sure fewer of them.
You're right. This season, I've seen my former association officiate two scrimmages and two games while watching two different associations officiate two other games. It has been brutal.
A handful of familiar old names are still around, but some of the new officials have no idea about mechanics. It's one thing to give officiating a try, but it seems like some have not even watched how seasoned officials work/move to at least make it look like they know what they are doing.
Another thing that I do not like (and we've seen this at other levels as well), is the IFB communication. I hate it. You get indecisive calls. You get a lack of officials selling their calls, and all you get is a bunch of slow-motion confusion while fans (who already don't know the rules) are left even more frustrated. And, when that communication breaks down, they may come together trying to figure out a spot or a penalty while still looking confused.
One thing my old association (I actually worked for two...one in my local area which was sharp and another while in college which was a sh*tshow) made sure of, is that we knew the rule book. Back then, we needed to score a 90 or better on the exam in my home association to be able to work Varsity and be eligible for playoff games. That was at the goal. Now, the pass mark is 80. However, amongst several veterans when I officiated, I was fortunate enough to work a state title game at the age of 19.
Either way, it's a thankless position to be in for these association commissioners to get these new guys trained.
I was reading an article this morning in Sports Illustrated, yes I am old enough that I still like to read things in magazine articles, lol. Anyway, the article is on the current state of officiating from the JV levels up through the pros and it talks about how D1 and the NFL needs the lower levels in order to have a candidate pool to fill it's open positions. It goes on to talk about how the higher levels are at an all time high for making correct calls, but that levels below D1 are struggling. The part of the article that really caught my attention was the statement made by one of the executives that stated that within 10 years, the shortage of officials will reach a critical level that it will begin to impact all levels through high level college games.
Not only with officials, there will be a desperate shortage of public school teachers. The day of the 30 plus year teachers is going by the wayside. Got friends who are public school administrators, they tell me it’s almost impossible to get good teachers to stay. They tell me the same ring about high school officials in all sports.
I think in the extreme lower levels such as Parks and Recreation, nobody wants to work those games because making $20, $25 (we made $15 when I officiated) is not worth being bothered by parents and coaches. Middle School (at least in my area) is barely above the quality of Parks & Recreation so it's hard for anyone to want to call those games.
Officials need to start somewhere, but with overzealous parents at a park on a Saturday morning, it's not shocking people will pass on those assignments.
The good thing about officiating is that in today's work-from-home climate, it's easier to get on the road to head towards your assignments compared to getting off work early and dealing with a commute.
To be honest, I quite enjoyed officiating; especially Junior Varsity and Varsity Football. Middle School wasn't even that bad. Two reasons why I no longer do it: I'm no longer in shape to work my preferred position (Linesman/Line Judge) and I travel quite a bit abroad and plan on living overseas in the future and I'm not sure when I'm going to be on a plane.
We are I think about 200 teachers short in my county. And my county isn't helped by the fact that it is full of transient people who use it as a bedroom to work their six hour a week government jobs.
And I've been in our county schools as a sub for four years. I would take assignments in the county north of mine because I didn't want to deal with the teachers in my county (who were generally agnostic, not friendly towards subs) nor the general education kids.
I was offered an English Teacher job and was a preferred sub by a department head. I liked the gifted kids in that school. Well behaved and smart. However, I realized there were other ways to make more money, and the fact that her fellow teachers in other departments were not friendly at all and the atmosphere was very cliquish.
I will agree with the educator shortage as well. My division is short staff and surrounding divisions all poach from one another. It's amazing to look at any division and see how many jobs are still open.
I'm down to a few years before I can get out and I cannot wait. I'd do it now, but I'm too far invested into VRS to give that up, but it says something about how far education has fallen when you have longtime educators weighing the pros and cons of giving up their retirement.
I also have thought about giving officiating a try. I played the game and coached it for over 20 years. I miss the environment, but I also see how they're treated and wonder if it's worth it.
I'm down to a few years before I can get out and I cannot wait. I'd do it now, but I'm too far invested into VRS to give that up, but it says something about how far education has fallen when you have longtime educators weighing the pros and cons of giving up their retirement.
I also have thought about giving officiating a try. I played the game and coached it for over 20 years. I miss the environment, but I also see how they're treated and wonder if it's worth it.
I got 2 more years to reach my 30 and will probably do 5 more to take advantage of a perk for an extra 3 years. There are about 40 teachers in my building and I'll bet and I would say there are about only 8-10 of us that have 20+ years in the system. Last I heard our Middle and High School was operating short staff due to the lack of applicants.
Officials... not many of them and they take a lot of abuse!!! I agree with above where it was said "as long as it's consistent", but be thankful some are willing to still do it.
Yet another problem in our area is lack of school bus drivers. One school district is so short staffed that the principal has started to also drive a bus and some parents have no choice but to drive their kids to school.
As for the original topic.....officiating........I will repeat two of my former stories, one good and one bad. The good involved a JV basketball game probably 10-15 years ago or more. No officials showed up so after a delay of at least half an hour, some guy from the host school (Stonewall Jackson, now Mountain View) strapped on a whistle and called the game all by himself. That one guy did a better job than I have seen three of them do in a game.
As for the bad experience, and I mentioned this again earlier this season, a few years ago I saw a football referee more than once physically spot a ball, then pick it up and carry it laterally across the field, set it down again on a hash mark, and THEN call out the chains to measure for a first down. Obviously there is no way he could have been guaranteed to have walked in a straight line from where the ball was originally spotted. As they say it is a "game of inches" so moving the ball before measuring could have made a difference between having a first down and not having one.
As for the original topic.....officiating........I will repeat two of my former stories, one good and one bad. The good involved a JV basketball game probably 10-15 years ago or more. No officials showed up so after a delay of at least half an hour, some guy from the host school (Stonewall Jackson, now Mountain View) strapped on a whistle and called the game all by himself. That one guy did a better job than I have seen three of them do in a game.
As for the bad experience, and I mentioned this again earlier this season, a few years ago I saw a football referee more than once physically spot a ball, then pick it up and carry it laterally across the field, set it down again on a hash mark, and THEN call out the chains to measure for a first down. Obviously there is no way he could have been guaranteed to have walked in a straight line from where the ball was originally spotted. As they say it is a "game of inches" so moving the ball before measuring could have made a difference between having a first down and not having one.
What's the solution then?
How do you get 22-35 year olds interested in the side job and stick with it?
How do you get 22-35 year olds interested in the side job and stick with it?
That’s a million dollar question. Find someone who loves the game, respect the game, and who want to make difference.
From a basketball side --- It really comes down to administrators actually have a backbone with their 100k+ jobs and removing people who say inappropriate or consistently negative things. "generally speaking" in 2023 all assignors will tell the refs/umpires to NOT interact with fans because it's a losing proposition but when no one stands up for you then you just walk away and "it's not worth it"
I saw a game this week where refs lost count of downs, and the team turned it over on downs, on three downs.
Unfortunately, unruly fans, disrespectful players and coaches run young officials away. The hourly pay rate is horrible. Let me give you an example: I receive $80.00 to umpire a 7:00 game at Hanover. It's 1 hr. Round trip (no travel pay), the association requires as it should you be there 1 hour before a game to complete a pregame with partner(s), 2 hour game (if you are lucky), 30 minute post game meeting and drive back home. This example does not include game reports. That's 4 1/2 hours plus travel expenses. In addition there are non paid trainings and meetings officials must attend. You tell me if the money is worth putting up with the crap they receive. I can tell you it's only going to get worse. The young officials are being rushed into varsity games. It takes years to learn to be a good official, communicate with coaches, and most importantly understand what you are seeing. If you see a new official tell them thanks and offer a compliment. It may go a long way in keeping this sport alive.
I agree with the consistency issues!! How many times have you seen a defensive end get his jersey about ripped of from holding and no call?? Then they will turn around and call the guard for a minimal hook for holding. That’s what gets coaches and fans furious!! I know it’s a thankless job, but I believe if the consistency would get better, then it would be better for all parties involved. And refs need to make more money for what they do as well. Travel waivers included. With the cost of fuel and all, regardless why would anyone do it and lose money??
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..."but it says something about how far education has fallen when you have longtime educators weighing the pros and cons of giving up their retirement"
THAT is the truth! They are finding ways too and have found happiness in doing so.
And therein lies the problem.
Only 1 out of 10 new officials lasts more than 3 years.
Abuse, both verbal and physical, is out of control.
Kids graduating HS have no interest in officiating. They see how fans and coaches abuse officials and have no interest in it. Why would they?
Yes, there are calls being missed and there are officials who are not familiar with some rules. But has anyone considered why? I can tell you. Because guys are signing up and they're getting thrown into games they're not ready for. But they either assigned to work the game or the game isn't played.
The situation is not going to improve until pay improves, schools decide to penalize poor behavior toward officials and they get involved in recruiting officials. Things are only going to get worse.
BTW, don't blame all these penalties on officials. There's some pretty bad football out there. That's a product of a lot of middle school and JV football players losing two years of play due to COVID. Those kids are playing high school football now.
My biggest complaint with the Refs is the number of "holding" calls. If holding has an effect on the play, throw the flag. If it's 30 yards from play, on opposite side of the field, ignore it.
Same solution for this as teacher, bus drivers, and any job suffering a shortage. The solution is dead simple and always has been.
In our area, we seem to have a conference between the officials after every other play this year. Really makes the game less interesting. Also, never seen such a problem counting off the yards in a penalty.
Just a lot of inexperience currently. Was talking with a former long-time official (pretty sure you and I are in the same basic area) who is now in administration helping out and he pointed out all seven refs at this particular game and three were rookies, two more had only three years and the most experienced was I believed a decade. Only good news he said was they had a high retention rate from last year.
Just going to need to be patient and forgiving for now. People run these guys off and you're back at square one. Need to put up with growing pains in order to get long-term benefits.
"Wise men plant trees under whose shade they will never know."
You have to realize counting is a lost art in our schools.
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