Basketball Officials' Pay - Help Shocker Ref and Sub

[Ricardo del Rio]

Teresa del Rio is interested in knowing about compensation earned by basketball officials in the Mo Valley and power conferences. Also, she is interested in the number of games officiated per week by a competent and well regarded official.

A companion question is about NFL officials. She has a friend, who works NFL games. If you have any idea, what is the scale for those officials? I assume years of service is a major factor in determining the pay.

I trust I have enough basketball in this topic that it will not be moved to the off topic section.

By the way, I thought I saw Mr. Higgins on the floor tonight for the Kansas v. Baylor game.

Mr. Higgins is not a crowd favorite in my seating area at Koch Arena.

[WuDrWu]

Higgins gets a bad rap because he is seen so often in Wichita and with the frequency, obviously hitting some hot coed.

He is the best official on a regular basis that we get. Very, very good.

I am fairly sure the going rate for high school officials is $50-$75/game + travel if outside a particular range.

I believe Mike Kennedy said that the top officials get $1000-$1200 a game in the Valley but I could be mistaken. That amount is intended to cover all expenses (travel, hotel etc).

[ShockRef]

Ricky,
I'll try to be informative, albeit brief.
NCAA Divison 1 basketball officials are classified as either Tier 1 or Tier 2. The rating is based on how many years of Division 1 worked, how many games and conferences.
Officials who contract with The Valley are paid based on an agreed upon amount for the classifications.
Right now, Tier 1 Officials are paid between $1600.00-$1800.00/game. Tier 2 are paid $1000-$1200.00/game.
Hopefully this information will answer your brides questions. 8)

[Rosewood]

I had no idea they were paid that kind of cash.

Maybe they should get a better benefit package so they can get some glasses, so they can see, because refs are blind, get it? get it?

[Zardoz]

There needs to be a limit set on the number of games/per time. While bad for some officials, it appears that some officials in pursuit of larger paydays are producing less quality in order to produce more quantity. No matter what the quality of the officials we don't need them just going through the motions in some games to buy themselves a better paycheck. They aren't at their best, their calls aren't at the best and they can have a negative affect on the game even with no favoritism toward either team.

[SubGod22]

The amount of games they work is over blown. Most of these guys are in pretty good shape and can handle the work load given. There is the mental aspect that could be a problem from time to time with some but I think the whole thing is being made a bigger deal than it should be by some. Even Kennedy talked about how he doesn't think it's an issue.

[ShockerGorilla]

The amount of games they work is over blown. Most of these guys are in pretty good shape and can handle the work load given. There is the mental aspect that could be a problem from time to time with some but I think the whole thing is being made a bigger deal than it should be by some. Even Kennedy talked about how he doesn't think it's an issue.

2 hours of work with a 15 minute break in the middle would be a nice work day.

[rZ]

2 hours of work with a 15 minute break in the middle would be a nice work day.

At least 2 games/week and 20ish weeks/year...not bad. And I'm sure some of these guys find summer work as well. I swear I saw hightower teaching a dance class last July.

[shocklight]

My guess is Hightower is a Level 1 official, seeing some of the big games he has officiated in. The thought he gets paid that much money to stare down 18-21 year old kids is crazy. However, it helps explain why he thinks he is the show out there!

[ShockRef]

The amount of games they work is over blown. Most of these guys are in pretty good shape and can handle the work load given. There is the mental aspect that could be a problem from time to time with some but I think the whole thing is being made a bigger deal than it should be by some. Even Kennedy talked about how he doesn't think it's an issue.

2 hours of work with a 15 minute break in the middle would be a nice work day.

There is one heck of lot more work going on than "2 hours of work with a 15 minute break in the middle." Trust me, it's an 8 hour deal on site and there's the travel time involved too. 8)

[ShockerKhan]

Just curious...do officials watch games of teams they will be working to get an idea on tendencies, style and temperament of players/coaches?
Or does the crew just get together and talk about how they will call the game and what they will look for or emphasize?

[WuDrWu]

And remember folks, all of their expenses come out of that money. It's not exactly free to travel from city to city, especially when you have a one day turnaround.

It may seem great, but trust me, it's hard grinding mostly thankless work.

When was the last time you busted your tail and DID a good job and 10k booed you out of the office?

[Ricardo del Rio]

Shocker Ref and Sub,

Thanks mucho.

rdr

[SubGod22]

Just curious...do officials watch games of teams they will be working to get an idea on tendencies, style and temperament of players/coaches?
Or does the crew just get together and talk about how they will call the game and what they will look for or emphasize?

I can't guarantee how it works in college, but if anyone has worked either team they'll mention what needs to be mentioned as far as tendencies go. They'll compare notes and then go over what the focus will be and what they need to do as a crew to make the game as smooth and clean as possible. Being on the same page helps!

[ShockerFever]

I take all the crap I get in here pretty well.

For that hourly pay rate, where do I sign up? :lol: