Inside The Numbers

The NFHS survey endeavored to find out the most important reasons officials have for leaving a particular sport. As part of that exit survey, respondents were given 17 potential reasons to choose from and asked to “indicate the most important reason(s) for no longer officiating at the high school level (check any that apply).”

The 17 Choices on the NFHS survey _1. Advancement to upper levels _2. Amount of travel involved _3. Career/job demands _4. Costs associated with obtaining/maintaining a license _5. Costs associated with purchasing necessary equipment _6. Desire to work only other rule codes _7. Desire to work only lower levels _8. Difficulty in advancing _9. Low game fees 10. Not what I thought it would be 11. Outside time needed for continuing education 12. Personal health 13. Poor sportsmanship by participants 14. Poor sportsmanship by spectators 15. Relationship with assignor or local association 16. Time away from family and friends 17. Voluntary retirement The top five among all respondents 1. Career/job demands 2. Poor sportsmanship by participants 3. Poor sportsmanship by spectators 4. Time away from family and friends 5. Low game fees

Gender differences. There were some telling differences between men and women respondents. Eighty-eight percent of all the respondents were male and their responses were very similar to the top five responses among all respondents. “Time away from family and friends” was the only response that did not appear in the men’s top five. In contrast “Time away from family and friends” was the second most-listed response among female respondents, who made up 12 percent of all respondents.