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NFL Referee employment


nero47

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Everything I've read says closer to the post you quoted. Do you have a link or anything showing your numbers?

My bad, I thought that I had looked it up before, and prety sure those were the figures that I saw,

I am shocked that they do not make more than 42-75k annually. I would never want to be one, away from

family for all that time, and that have to submit to ridicule from people like me and you! Albeit mostly

deserved riducle.

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Most of the postseason and ProBowl doesn't require anywhere near as many refs as the regular season -- so you're down to 21 weeks.

 

The whole part time vs full time is lame; MLB, NBA, and NHL refs screw up all the time and they're full time (remember NO GOAL?). And if the league is nudging things to make a better narrative, it doesn't matter if the refs are full time or part time.

This is 100% correct. Seeing as there are 10 times as many baseball games and 5 times as many hockey and basketball games played compared to the NFL, those leagues have to have full time refs--they are traveling all the time. It's not intuitive how havign these guys hanging around HQ from Mon to Fri would change the quality of the calls.

 

The NFL has far more liberal use of instant replay and refs frequently will confer on the field over a call anyway. There is no meaningful or important use of replay in the NBA or MLB and refs almost never discuss or confer over their calls with other refs/umps. The full time prossional ump behind the plate calling the strike zone has unmatched authority and power to influence the outcome of a game in all of professional sports, for instance. Everyone complains about this ump or that ump's interpretation of the strike zone--and those are "full time guys".

 

As posted above, these guys know they are being watched/judged/critiqued by their employers and that poor performance impacts negatively on their advancement in this career.

 

Bad calls, and the endless complaints that follow them, will never go away.

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This is 100% correct. Seeing as there are 10 times as many baseball games and 5 times as many hockey and basketball games played compared to the NFL, those leagues have to have full time refs--they are traveling all the time. It's not intuitive how havign these guys hanging around HQ from Mon to Fri would change the quality of the calls.

 

The NFL has far more liberal use of instant replay and refs frequently will confer on the field over a call anyway. There is no meaningful or important use of replay in the NBA or MLB and refs almost never discuss or confer over their calls with other refs/umps. The full time prossional ump behind the plate calling the strike zone has unmatched authority and power to influence the outcome of a game in all of professional sports, for instance. Everyone complains about this ump or that ump's interpretation of the strike zone--and those are "full time guys".

 

As posted above, these guys know they are being watched/judged/critiqued by their employers and that poor performance impacts negatively on their advancement in this career.Bad calls, and the endless complaints that follow them, will never go away.

Not if the bad calls and poor performance support the NFL's agenda.

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?

 

I googled it myself, and found different numbers than what he had posted, and therefore asked him for his source. Unfortunately you were unable to follow. Thanks for the link and your attempt at being a jerk.

Edited by Carey Bender
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I asked how they all began their NFL officiating careers and they all stated that they began Refereeing little league, some moved on the High School and College football, while others went to officiating school and were eventually hired by the NFL

 

I have to say that officiating IS fun. I officiated high school for a year (should never have stopped...), and it was great. The kids were awesome to work with and VERY respectful. The parents, on the other hand.... <_< But it was cool because the head ref I worked with the most was actually a ref for the Big 10, so I learned a lot of tricks of the trade. I try to cut the refs some slack (although I do my fair share of complaining) because it really is a different beast working on the field. My first game, I had so many nerves that I somehow missed the kid calling for a fair catch on a punt return. How do you miss that?!?! To this day I still have no recollection of him calling FC, but luckily the other ref blew the play dead (and then chewed my ass out...) so that the kid didn't get creamed.

 

It's a fun hobby if you have some free time. :)

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Cool story.

 

I am stationed in Vegas and was visiting Buffalo the weekend of the Raiders game this year. After the game, I headed to the airport to fly out and decided to grab some wings and beer(s) at the Anchor bar while at the airport terminal.

 

Sitting next to me at the bar, were some well dressed guys, drinking and talking football. Sort-of being loud and talkative. A closer examination (and a bit of eavesdropping) and I realized that they were the refs from the Bills/Raiders game from just a few hours earlier.

 

I struck up a conversation about the game with the gents, and the lead ref made some interesting comments.

 

First, he said that the Bills/Raiders game played that day was one of the most exciting games he (they) had refereed in a while. They all agreed that they just 'love' a great game, and love to ref a game that is thrilling with huge implications. Once again, they said that the game that day was incredible!

 

Also, they all agreed that Fitz was a hell of a QB. Particularly noting the fact that he was consistantly putting the ball through "tiny windows" and was "the real deal" as they put it. ---It was great to hear this so early in the season.

 

I asked how they all began their NFL officiating careers and they all stated that they began Refereeing little league, some moved on the High School and College football, while others went to officiating school and were eventually hired by the NFL.

 

I asked if they had a favorite team......solely as men and fans of the game, not as refs. ---They all looked at eachother silently and uncomfortably for a moment before all saying "No, we don't have a favorite team" (probably the Politically Correct answer) After a brief silence, an official exclaimed "I'm a fan of the Zebras!" -- Everyone laughed and the uncomfortable moment was over. It's obvious they try to mitigate leakage of information such as 'favorite team' or 'favorite player' to the public.

 

I also saw Solomon Wilcox at the anchor Bar with the refs that day and again in Detroit on a connecting flight. It seems the announcers, refs and NFL films crews all travel together and are somewhat 'close-knit'

 

Just thought I'd share my referee story.

 

GO BILLS!

Link?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding. Cool story.

Edited by San Jose Bills Fan
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I have to say that officiating IS fun. I officiated high school for a year (should never have stopped...), and it was great. The kids were awesome to work with and VERY respectful. The parents, on the other hand.... <_< But it was cool because the head ref I worked with the most was actually a ref for the Big 10, so I learned a lot of tricks of the trade. I try to cut the refs some slack (although I do my fair share of complaining) because it really is a different beast working on the field. My first game, I had so many nerves that I somehow missed the kid calling for a fair catch on a punt return. How do you miss that?!?! To this day I still have no recollection of him calling FC, but luckily the other ref blew the play dead (and then chewed my ass out...) so that the kid didn't get creamed.

 

It's a fun hobby if you have some free time. :)

 

Progressing from LL, to HS, to small college, to big college, to NFL is essentially how 99.9% of these guys move up. I did have a very poor crew with a HS playoff game last year. One team from from a predominantly minority school and the other was from a suburban/semi-rural school. After speaking with both coaches a few weeks after the game, players from both sides were telling the coaches that the crew told the minority school that there was no way they were going to beat the other school. The minority school had about 3 times the penalties as the other school and about a half a dozen personal fouls towards the end of the game. The minority school filed a complaint to the state hs association. Crew was investigated, but nothing ever came out of that investigation.

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