Question: Who was the first African-American referee in the history of the NFL?
(You can find the answer at the end of this article.)
Referees and umpires represent some of the most unpopular figures in arenas and stadiums around the world. Perhaps this is because millions of adoring fans and hundreds of nervous athletes on both sides of the coin toss understand the power that the men holding the whistles possess.
This same power explains why many dream of becoming officials in the first place. True, many call the shots for the love of the game, but the ones that make it to the professional levels have more than love to show for their efforts.
Independent of whether officials call the plays correctly or not, many of us grow up wanting to become referees or umpires, yet few of us ever get to become part of this small profession. How come? A lot of it has to do with dedication and
commitment, but there is much more to it than that.
The following is an introduction to the profession of officiating.
where to start
Referees, umpires and other sports officials traditionally begin their careers by volunteering for intramural, community and recreational league tournaments. In school athletics, high school and college referees must be certified by an officiating school and pass a probationary period.
As they rise through academic levels, the scrutiny that umpires and referees face increases in tandem. Large college conferences usually demand that officials be certified and hold considerable experience in officiating high school or community college games.
Oftentimes though, these officials have other jobs. Only when you "turn pro" does officiating become a full-time job.
are you made for it?
Assuming you have a desire to officiate, you must then ask yourself the following five questions, which can be found on the National Association of Sports Officials' website:
1- Are you physically fit? Baseball umpires may get a bad rap for being
overweight and out of shape, but lace up your skates or run up and down a pitch and you will quickly see that you have to be in top shape to stay on top of the game.
2- Are you emotionally prepared? Remember all those times that you shouted profanity-laced tirades at the men holding the whistles? Well, if you want to be in their place, you must be able to handle the heat. It's like the NASO motto states: You have to love it when they boo. Well, do you?
Still think you've got what it takes?
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Readers Comments: 8 Posts
how do you or can you become the person to move the first down chain markers in the nfl. do they get paid?
most of u people dont no what your talking about so shut up
Baseball, as with all the major sports, tries to keep their senoir staff in the top 1% of all wage earners in the US. The salary range is from 100,000 to 357,000 for a 26 year veteran. A crew chief makes $10,000 extra. An all-star game pays 10,000, a Division Series 12,000, League Championship 15,000 and World Series 20,000. You cannot work the League Championship and World Series in the same year. So, a 26 year veteran crew chief "could" make 357,000-10,000-10,000-12,000-20,000 for a total of 409,000. They also have 4 weeks of vacation now, so they only work about 135 games. But, it takes them 7-15 years to make the majors. A guaranteed specialty in another field is advised in case of failure due to such a late start on a second career.
nothing really to comment about
how do i get started at the intermediate levels. how do i get training. how much can i make at all levels
Wait, you have WNBA season tickets?
i'm ready to chuck my season tickets to the WNBA Storm. the Referees totally decide which team wins! it breaks my heart to see players that have a season average of 1 foul per game rack up 3 or 4 in the first quarter of a playoff game! and blatent wrong calls, from across the court that they couldn' t have seen...drives me insane. i can't even watch a game anymore. switching to NFL now. at least if there is a bad call, it makes the news and heads roll if the same ref does it twice or three times. will someone please fix the WNBA refs?? i expect comeone will go columbine on them one of these days.
about major sport refereeing......nba basketball is a joke....home team win % is way too high....not enough travelling violations, palming calls, and way too many questionable foul or no foul calls.....the bottom line is that the refs decide the winner more times than not....as most games are close throughout...baseball umps have easier and more credible job.....most mistakes involve balls and strikes...few missed calls on the playing field...
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