Taking Care Of Business

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

Taking Care Of Business

Taking Care Of Business
Covering legal issues, insurance concerns, and best practices related to taxes, reports and paperwork.

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....

Keep Expenses Simple or Be Sorry

"KISS” is an acronym for the design principle, Keep It Simple, Stupid! When talking about your officiating taxes, it should be "Keep Expenses Simple." The KISS principle...

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...

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...

You’re Your Own Agent

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

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...

Enforcing vs. Interpreting the Rules

Today’s high school sports officials are often caught between the “rock” of enforcing rules strictly and the “hard place” of interpreting the rules sensibly,...

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...

Accepting Assignments: Dos and Don’ts

Games! We all want as many as we can possibly handle, but when it comes to accepting assignments, you can't just say yes without...

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...

Rules Test Tips for Takers and Givers

There are those who argue that a rules test is not the most reliable method of determining an official’s rules knowledge. How much stock you place in...

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...

When Your Partner Doesn’t Show

Every time you take the floor or field as an official, drive a car, or even try to help someone put their bag in...

Take a Peek Inside An Assigner’s Notebook

W hile I have officiated since 1975, I have also served as a high school softball assigner and an NCAA Division III college football conference...

A Guide to Defending Your Officials

Every season association officers get letters, letters and more letters that may lead you to defending your officials. “How could we have 10 fouls and...

Your Words Have Ramifications

your words have ramifications.  In England, a soccer referee was reportedly forced to quit the Premier League after he allegedly mocked a disabled man...

Weather Woes

An important concept in officiating is learning to control the things that you can control. We can control the amount of time that we...

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...

Electronic Payments: Whys and Wherefores

If you have officiated long enough you have seen payment methods go from cash to direct deposit into your bank account or debit card....

Special Circumstances That Go Beyond Any Rulebook

If you work long enough most officials will find themselves in the middle of special circumstances that go beyond any rulebook. It’s a cold December evening but the gym...

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...

Tort Liability for Game Officials

Protecting the safety of players is a substantial responsibility of officials. We are charged with enforcing the rules and many of those rules are...

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....

Let the Media Handle the Postgame Commentary

When it comes to officials and the media, it might have been legendary major league umpire Bill Klem who said it best. “I don’t...