Possible ref boycott in NEO. Is this statewide?

thavoice said:
Football referee's...do yall really take that much abuse compared to hoops and baseball?

Seems like you are pretty insulated from the fans. I dont know, maybe the kids get nastier to you since they also are far away from the coaches/fans.
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See below...

yappi.com

Football referees trapped in locker room, door blocked with vending machine, file charges

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/football-referees-trapped-in-locker-room-door-blocked-with-vending-machine-file-charges/ This is no accident. No one in game administration or security was able, or chose, to stop someone from doing this?
yappi.com yappi.com

It's not uncommon for football officials to be confronted in the parking lot or followed to their dressing room when game adminstration and/or security is not doing its job.
 
I have talked to very few veteran officials that have gotten out of officiating due to the abuse by fans or coaches. Most have quit due to physical issues or work changes. Young officials have quit for the abuse reasons. Unfortunately, we start off new people with the toughest level of sports. Junior High and youth leagues (at least in my area) have much more problems with parents. Normally, high school games (basketball and football) have paid security where the younger levels don't. Officials deserve increases but what may be economically feasible in Cleveland, Cincinnati and other urban areas may not be feasible in the rural areas of Ohio. What works in Div 1 and Div 2 may be tough for Div 6 & 7 (football).
 
thavoice said:
Football referee's...do yall really take that much abuse compared to hoops and baseball?

Seems like you are pretty insulated from the fans. I dont know, maybe the kids get nastier to you since they also are far away from the coaches/fans.
Click to expand...
I remember a couple years ago when an administrator from one particular local school had to be removed from the sideline because of his verbal abuse of the officials.
 
Dragon72 said:
I have talked to very few veteran officials that have gotten out of officiating due to the abuse by fans or coaches. Most have quit due to physical issues or work changes. Young officials have quit for the abuse reasons. Unfortunately, we start off new people with the toughest level of sports. Junior High and youth leagues (at least in my area) have much more problems with parents. Normally, high school games (basketball and football) have paid security where the younger levels don't. Officials deserve increases but what may be economically feasible in Cleveland, Cincinnati and other urban areas may not be feasible in the rural areas of Ohio. What works in Div 1 and Div 2 may be tough for Div 6 & 7 (football).
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We all know younger people have thinner skin. Most officials that have rabbit ears seem to be the younger type.

Maybe the state officials association should work a deal with professional and college sports to allow them special discounts to attend. That could be a good perk for an official to take he and his family to Minor League games like the Dragons, Clippers, Reds, MudHens, Rubberducks, etc and other sports.
 
umpire16 said:
Id like to know where sub varsity games have three in basketball because in 20 years I’ve never seen it or worked it. And most sub varsity baseball is already at one man and has been.
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As recently as ‘19-20 three man crews in the Mid-State League (Central OH) for JV games were the norm. I didn’t make it much to many JV games this past season but there were still some 3-man crews for those games.
 
When our area has freshman/jv/varsity triple-headers - it isn't unusual to have 3 person crews on freshman/jv. The majority of single jv games has two person.
 
umpire16 said:
Id like to know where sub varsity games have three in basketball because in 20 years I’ve never seen it or worked it. And most sub varsity baseball is already at one man and has been.
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There's two conferences my school plays in non-league boys basketball that utilize 3 officials for JV. And it's usually the case that if it's a triple header, the same officials will work both the freshmen and JV contests.
 
Ericles said:
There's two conferences my school plays in non-league boys basketball that utilize 3 officials for JV. And it's usually the case that if it's a triple header, the same officials will work both the freshmen and JV contests.
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The F and Jv crews working both is fairly common. I’m glad three man is doing JV somewhere. I’ve just not worked it or seen it in my area.
 
lightspeed84 said:
Well a lot of us millennials were treated like dog sh-- from 2008-2015, so forgive us for not having a lot empathy for things outside our immediate concern. I remember struggling to find substitute teaching jobs and fighting with retired boomers to sub, I am not doing anything to help anyone after what I went through during the recession, money talks. Sorry for going on a rant, this just sort of hit a nerve.
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I'm also a millennial. I have a slightly different mindset in terms of helping people. I believe that serving others is how great societies accomplish great things. The hyper individualism is why we are regressing.

However. I it took me some time to come to feeling this way because I too was in your same position right out of college. It did me no good to hold that resentment though haha.

Also there just isn't enough of us behind the boomers to fill all these roles they are retiring from.

The only place the boomers won't retire from is government.
 
doubtme said:
I'm also a millennial. I have a slightly different mindset in terms of helping people. I believe that serving others is how great societies accomplish great things. The hyper individualism is why we are regressing.

However. I it took me some time to come to feeling this way because I too was in your same position right out of college. It did me no good to hold that resentment though haha.

Also there just isn't enough of us behind the boomers to fill all these roles they are retiring from.

The only place the boomers won't retire from is government.
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The issue in this specific example is that “serving others” via officiating comes with too much baggage. If you’re volunteering and get yelled at the entire time, you’ll eventually stop volunteering.
 
I'm 40, I did 17 years of football in Kentucky starting when I was 21, took me until my 3rd year to be full time varsity. I obviously had way more issues with coaches behavior at the lower levels (3rd-8th grade) because the coaches "know" the Sunday rules. Loved officiating and absolutely love football at all levels, but I could 100% do without the idiot fans that stand on the fence around the field. It wasn't the start up cost, the travel (except a few schools that were plagued by traffic jams), the getting home from work at 4pm just to turn and leave by 4:15-4:30 to get to the school by around 5:30 for a 7pm start only to get home around 10:30, the upset wife because I was gone all weekend all season. It was 100% the idiot fans and the extreme increase of poor sportsmanship from the fans, players and coaches. The Sportsmanship seemed to nose dive in my last 5 years by all parties. It turned into the Jerry Springer show. Instead of calling a well disciplined well played game it was just constantly telling players to knock it off and tell coaches that "That was legal ten years ago, not now". I finally had enough after the 2018 season. I'll just take my kids to the local game and sit away from the moron fans who don't know their head from the ---hole when it comes to rules and/or enforcement of. Ky is even instituting using seniors in high school and newly graduated people (select Associations) like an apprenticeship. They'll work the U for all little league/Jr High games and coaches are to refrain from saying anything derogative to them or even questioning them. I know when I started, my second JV game I had a HC challenge me when I was walking off the field in a blowout. Being young a dumb It didn't bother me. By the end I would've just stopped officiating that second.

That being my rant, officials in all sports need a pay increase ands well overdue. The one's saying "You're going to screw over the kids" are the ones who won't even think about officials unless it's to berate them. So should John Doe say that to you just say "We are always looking for experienced officials you should come out with us", shuts them up pretty quick.
 
JackEd said:
I'm 40, I did 17 years of football in Kentucky starting when I was 21, took me until my 3rd year to be full time varsity. I obviously had way more issues with coaches behavior at the lower levels (3rd-8th grade) because the coaches "know" the Sunday rules. Loved officiating and absolutely love football at all levels, but I could 100% do without the idiot fans that stand on the fence around the field. It wasn't the start up cost, the travel (except a few schools that were plagued by traffic jams), the getting home from work at 4pm just to turn and leave by 4:15-4:30 to get to the school by around 5:30 for a 7pm start only to get home around 10:30, the upset wife because I was gone all weekend all season. It was 100% the idiot fans and the extreme increase of poor sportsmanship from the fans, players and coaches. The Sportsmanship seemed to nose dive in my last 5 years by all parties. It turned into the Jerry Springer show. Instead of calling a well disciplined well played game it was just constantly telling players to knock it off and tell coaches that "That was legal ten years ago, not now". I finally had enough after the 2018 season. I'll just take my kids to the local game and sit away from the moron fans who don't know their head from the ---hole when it comes to rules and/or enforcement of. Ky is even instituting using seniors in high school and newly graduated people (select Associations) like an apprenticeship. They'll work the U for all little league/Jr High games and coaches are to refrain from saying anything derogative to them or even questioning them. I know when I started, my second JV game I had a HC challenge me when I was walking off the field in a blowout. Being young a dumb It didn't bother me. By the end I would've just stopped officiating that second.

That being my rant, officials in all sports need a pay increase ands well overdue. The one's saying "You're going to screw over the kids" are the ones who won't even think about officials unless it's to berate them. So should John Doe say that to you just say "We are always looking for experienced officials you should come out with us", shuts them up pretty quick.
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Outstanding post and completely spot on with the hypocrisy of the “you’re going to screw over the kids” crowd.
 
thavoice said:
Football referee's...do yall really take that much abuse compared to hoops and baseball?

Seems like you are pretty insulated from the fans. I dont know, maybe the kids get nastier to you since they also are far away from the coaches/fans.
Click to expand...
Talked to enough officials at games. Football is much better than other sports for abuse. Distance from the fans helps. Basketball and volleyball I was told was the worst. Wrestling was the best even with the fans (seeing how they're paid now explains why they put up with any hecklers).
 
The Dock said:
As recently as ‘19-20 three man crews in the Mid-State League (Central OH) for JV games were the norm. I didn’t make it much to many JV games this past season but there were still some 3-man crews for those games.
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PA is debating whether to allow 4 man crews for varsity because of how few officials there are now. Officials are against the idea. But that just means more Thursday and Saturday games. In PA a lot of officials are D2 and D3 college officials on Saturday. So, there's some issues.

NY has had issues with officials for years. Even with all the schools that lack lights and all the co-ops there's usually a handful of Thursday games every week in just Section 6 (Buffalo area) let alone the rest of the state
 
Any offical working 3man crews in 11man football are part of the problem.

They aren’t remotely seeing enough of the action which in turns causes more friction between coaches and fans

By large in part most officials don’t take pride in there health and or physical appearance which causes friction.

Game Administration is lacking at a lot of schools and or they are part of the problem.

The OHSAA needs to get involved and clean up everything from pay, administration, officials physical fitness levels and it would quickly turn around
 
SportsFan79 said:
Any offical working 3man crews in 11man football are part of the problem.

They aren’t remotely seeing enough of the action which in turns causes more friction between coaches and fans

By large in part most officials don’t take pride in there health and or physical appearance which causes friction.

Game Administration is lacking at a lot of schools and or they are part of the problem.

The OHSAA needs to get involved and clean up everything from pay, administration, officials physical fitness levels and it would quickly turn around
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The OHSAA legally can’t get involved with pay, and can only get involved with physical fitness levels to extreme extents.

and if you want fit, in shape refs…pay more.
 
hammer89 said:
The issue in this specific example is that “serving others” via officiating comes with too much baggage. If you’re volunteering and get yelled at the entire time, you’ll eventually stop volunteering.
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Nothing in lightspeed84’s post gave any indication that he was referring to refereeing. I was just happy as hell to see the general attitude toward giving to others in doubtme’s post. Why try to counter it?
 
zebrastripes said:
See below...

yappi.com

Football referees trapped in locker room, door blocked with vending machine, file charges

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/football-referees-trapped-in-locker-room-door-blocked-with-vending-machine-file-charges/ This is no accident. No one in game administration or security was able, or chose, to stop someone from doing this?
yappi.com yappi.com

It's not uncommon for football officials to be confronted in the parking lot or followed to their dressing room when game adminstration and/or security is not doing its job.
Click to expand...
My brother officiated HS football for only 3 years. Said he loved everything about it (the actual officiating) but took a lot of crap before and after the games from the fans. Also said there were a lot of coaches (HC and Asst) that were in their faces all game. He didnt do it for the money and said it just wasnt worth his time.
 
Gbulldog said:
My brother officiated HS football for only 3 years. Said he loved everything about it (the actual officiating) but took a lot of crap before and after the games from the fans. Also said there were a lot of coaches (HC and Asst) that were in their faces all game. He didnt do it for the money and said it just wasnt worth his time.
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And officials ourselves are completely to blame for coaches who act the fool game after game without penalty. Some of my colleagues wouldn’t flag the sideline if their lives depended on it out of fear of being rated poorly.
 
hammer89 said:
The OHSAA legally can’t get involved with pay, and can only get involved with physical fitness levels to extreme extents.

and if you want fit, in shape refs…pay more.
Click to expand...
Football and Basketball should have had a physical fitness test added in years ago. 1000s of younger refs wouldn’t of angrily left the ranks by not getting games over older out of shape officials.
 
SportsFan79 said:
Football and Basketball should have had a physical fitness test added in years ago. 1000s of younger refs wouldn’t of angrily left the ranks by not getting games over older out of shape officials.
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Most younger refs who don't stick with it leave within three years - in almost all cases it has to do with reasons other than dissatisfaction with the number/level of assignments.

Sportsmanship, poor pay, and lack of compatibility with other priorities (work, family, etc.) are by far the main culprits - not politics.
 
oldbengal said:
On a funnier note, my neighbor is a football ref. He shared this information: While going into the ref's locker room at one of the newer stadiums (Euclid?), he noticed the 'Officials Room' name was also in Braille! He pointed it out to the stadium people and they both got a laugh out of it.
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It's the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law. That new stadium probably also has really good wheelchair accessible ramps and braille on other signage like their restrooms.
 
SportsFan79 said:
Football and Basketball should have had a physical fitness test added in years ago. 1000s of younger refs wouldn’t of angrily left the ranks by not getting games over older out of shape officials.
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OHSAA steered clear of physical fitness tests. I’m not sure if it was for legal reasons, or because they needed numbers.

if instituted now, I don’t think the number of refs they’d potentially gain would be anywhere near the number they lose.
 
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