All Aboard

Spending an entire day in a gym surrounded by basketball players, coaches, officials and fans/parents can be mentally taxing to say the least, so logically there needs to be some type of “get away/mental escape” correct?

 

 With the invention of the smartphone, you no diggity find that most officials head straight over to their seating area, pick up that smartphone and begin checking for texts, calls, Facebook posts, tweets, etc. (yep I am just as guilty as the next).  During an off game (aka..break, if you get one), it’s therapeutic to take off that striped shirt and whistle, sometimes even the shoes, grab something cold to drink and maybe something to eat and become just another person in the gym for a while, instead of being “that guy who made the terrible call on someone’s child…lol)

 

Someone recently asked me why some of us post photo’s on Facebook of each other officiating on the court……simply all in FUN, is the answer.  Yes it may be overkill/redundant to some, and I’m sure some don’t get it, or even care too for that matter…. but again, spending 12+ hours in a gym, one has to entertain themselves somehow..lol   Yes indeed we try to make this opportunity (I wouldn’t call it a job) as much fun as possible by keeping it light/joking. 

 

Now scheduling officials to work a camp/shootout IS a job/work…LOL.   Most officials understand the process and hold to their commitment, but then you have those that ask, dang near beg you to schedule them for games..then turn around and:

 a). Not show up

b). Show up, get on the court and do nothing but complain/whine…some to the point where the coach/tournament director ask you to NEVER bring that person back

c). Constantly ask you when they are going to be paid (if one is doing this strictly for the $$, WRONG place to be dude!)

d). Ask for X number of games, then want to bail on you before the games that they asked for are completed, then wonder why you don’t call them to work anymore(I have a LONG memory..lol)

e). This @#$% could go on and on as I’m assuming you are probably thinking right about now J

 

For most officials that I know of, this time of year FUN.  The ability to make some EXTRA $$( aka The Money Train…chooo chooo),  wear shorts  and not have to switch court positions on every whistle is enough to make the pay differential a non-factor (given that you usually work a lot more games in a day, and most pay you cash on the spot doesn’t hurt either..lol)

 So take that class, get that license and hop on the Train (Alllllllllllll aboard!)