Get used to more cancellations or other arrangements such as coaches filling in. This is going to become the new norm. It isn't just verbal abuse, though that's a huge part of it.
I've been officiating since college in the late '80s. I've worked mainly football and basketball but dabbled in other sports. Now, I'm only on the football field. I've worked (mainly) jr. high through college but have also done kids leagues. I'm out on everything but HS football with the occasional jr. high assignment. I work my varsity schedule, including scrimmages, regular season and playoffs, my REQUIRED subvarsity schedule (we have a minimum as most football chapters in Texas do), maybe a few more subvarsity games/dates if I feel like it, and that's it. I no longer work college in either sport (DII in both, did men's and women's at one time or another in hoops) but that isn't anywhere near worth my time and the coaches in basketball -- not to mention where the game has gone -- are beyond ridiculous. For years, I said I was "semi" retired from basketball but I doubt I'll ever step foot on a basketball court and I was a darn good hoops official.
Fan abuse is actually a small(er) part of the problem. Its there, and its a problem, but we don't hear the fans too much. Its beyond stupid when you think about it: people who've never even SEEN a rule book trying to tell those of us who've done this for decades what we should be doing. Sort of like a first time Microsoft Word user trying to tell the developer how to code Word better. Sure, we make mistakes; who doesn't? But you try and explain post scrimmage kick enforcement, when it applies and when it doesn't. I'll hang up and listen. Oh, not a football guy? No problem. False double fouls, then. Give me a specific example. Think they never occur? You'd be wrong. Not every game, of course, but they happen.
The problem with fans is that they've developed an entitlement attitude. They believe they have a RIGHT to a call. They believe they have a right to win the game. They now believe that if THEY THINK the call is missed, the officials are cheating. When I was a kid, if a call was perceived as missed, the officials were blind. Now, they're corrupt. I've worked thousands of basketball games and hundreds of football games. You want to know exactly how many games I've suspected any of my partners of being corrupt? Exactly ZERO. Incompetent? A lot. Sure, that's happened many more times than I'd like to recall. But not corrupt.
To the extent there's been a call made or not made that had an air (if you will) of being influenced, it is because of the way Texas UIL allows game assignments in football and other sports. They allow the coaches WAY too much power. It isn't so much the scratching ability of coaches -- that isn't a big problem. The problem is in all the large football chapters, the coaches affirmatively select the crews. In pretty much all the playoff games the coaches want to make a pick, they make a specific pick for a crew. If the coaches don't agree, they flip for the choice. Believe it or not, a coach from Houston (for example) will flip for the right to pick a Houston crew against a coach from Dallas (who will pick a Dallas crew) for a state championship game. It has happened each of the last few years in the highest UIL state football championship game divisions.
During games, coaches are, and have been for years, getting worse. They blame it on the "pressure" they get to win. That's bull***** They're as competitive as anyone and want to win themselves. I'm not saying they're not under pressure -- they are. But its just an excuse. Coaches are driving out officials left and right. No one wants to put up with coaches screaming at us for virtually the entire game anymore.
Pay isn't anywhere near where it should be. In football, unlike the other sports now, we're paid BASED on gate receipts. Previously, other sports in Texas did that as well, but UIL changed that. However, UIL shouldn't have a say in how officials are paid. Yet they do. They don't have a say in how security guards or other people working a high school game are paid. Why officials? If I work an Allen vs. Southlake game, I'm going to get a nice check. Same with Katy vs. North Shore. However, if I work, say, Rudder vs. Killeen and only 1500 people show up, I might make $140. If I work a game in Groesbeck or Fairfield, it will be even less. The guys working 15-30 Allen or Katy type games aren't complaining but they're only about 20-ish crews statewide doing that. Another 25-30 are working, say, a mix, and the rest are lucky to get 2-3 "big" games a year and the rest are "minis."
There's 2 big issues facing high school officials in most sports now: college and age. College is snatching our best officials out of high school. In years past, guys worked both HS and college, at least until they made a top division I league like the (old) SWC or Big 12. Now, even leagues like the Lone Star keep guys from working some high school games because they play on the occasional Friday and when the play on Saturday, they want their crews in town Friday -- making their HS game out of the question. These guys still work HS but not as much. Years ago, we could work division II and HS without ANY issue. Division I leagues all but eliminate guys from working more than 2-4 HS games a year.
The other issue is that some of our best and most seasoned officials are walking away for reasons other than what I've mentioned here. They're kids are reaching HS and college age and the parents have decided to be more a part of their lives -- watch them play, watch their band play, etc. Years ago, the kids might say, "go ref and we'll do something with the money," but now, for whatever reason (and I don't have a problem with this), the folks are saying, "I'm going to put aside officiating..." The thing is, they rarely come back -- mostly due to reasons I've mentioned above.
Sorry for the dissertation, but I've laid out the reasons. I'll continue to do football...for now. But if I end up on youtube, slandered, or something like that, I'm bringing the wood with a lawsuit and my career, for all intents and purposes, will be over. Or, if nothing like that happens, I'll just leave quietly and do other things. But make no mistake: we were in a state of crisis in officiating a decade ago. We're WAY past that now.
