Taking Care Of Business

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Covering legal issues, insurance concerns, and best practices related to taxes, reports and paperwork.

Handling an Accident and Insurance from Game Travel

Sometimes the riskiest part about being a sports official is getting to and from the game. Sure, no official likes the abuse we often...

Negotiating Officials’ Pay

A contract is a contract. However, sometimes the parties to a contract want to change the terms. Often leagues will renegotiate officials' pay for games each year with...

What is an Oral Contract?

The difference between an oral contract and a written contract is obviously the writing. A contract is simply an offer accepted by another party with the parties exchanging something...

Don’t Officiate an “Unofficial” Game

Games can be over before they begin. Some officials fall into the trap of officiating the extra inning after a run rule, or starting...

Sadly, personal safety is a concern for officials today. What’s being done to ensure game security and our welfare? John Locke, the 17th century English philosopher and physician said, “All mankind...

Coexist with Photographers

Officials are in the middle of the action, focused on the game but also aware of the sideline surroundings. Similarly, photographers and community access cable television camera operators...

Should You Sign A Post-Injury Waiver?

Consider this situation: There was a serious player injury that occurred during a game you officiated. An ambulance had to transport the player to the hospital for...

For the Fourth Time, That’s Enough!

Warnings — Give ‘em “the look,” “the stop sign,” the quiet word, the louder word, it doesn’t matter if you never take care of...

Good Reports Earn You Respect

It’s a good idea to send misconduct reports — sometimes referred to as incident reports — to proper authorities, even if it’s not required....

You’re Your Own Agent

At a referee development camp that I attended last summer, the camp director began with a single question: “Who is your agent?” After a period...

Get Yourself an Injury Witness

It happens. A player has an injury in a game you’ve just officiated. You managed the players and the crowd. The trainers handled the...

Safety and Warmups When a Team Arrives Late

As a sports official, you’ve been there. You’ve fought the traffic to show up to a field on a cold, rainy day, in plenty...

Enforce Mercy Rules

The failure to follow a mercy rule is probably not enough by itself to make an official liable for a player injury. However, it...

What Do You Have to Hide?

Knock, knock. “Hello, Mr. Smith. We’re with the state association. We’re conducting a little check of all our registered officials. You don’t mind if...

Assigners Can Fire You

The officiating world has no objective meter, like win-loss record, to help determine who keeps their job and who gets fired. It often takes an assigner making judgment calls...

What to Do If You’re Attacked

Assaults against sports officials are drawing unprecedented attention. Many states have passed legislation designed specifically to protect sports officials from being attacked. More and...

Can Player Ejections Be Overturned by a Court?

All state high school athletic associations impose postgame disciplinary actions on student-athletes and coaches who are ejected from a contest by reason of unsporting...

Step Up When a Player Goes Down

There’s a scramble for a loose ball. Before the ball is secured, the referee hears a scream. One of the players is lying on the court and...

Don’t Even Let the Fight Start

When an official asks, ”What should I do if a fight breaks out?” I’m forever tempted to answer, “Dude, don’t let it happen again.”...

7 Things You Must Know About Game Contracts

By Alan Goldberger Game contracts are a part of officiating. Every officiating assignment — at every level — represents a contract or part of a...

Seek Knowledge and Ye Shall Find

You’re a young, aspiring official who is eager to seek knowledge anywhere you can about the rules, mechanics and philosophies applicable in your sport....