Long ago, there were no rules and pretty much anything was fair when it came to sports. However, as athletics became more organized, rules and regulations were drawn up, and officials were put in place to make sure these rules were followed. Today, every sport has its own set of rules—usually enough to fill a thick book! And every sport has referees, umpires, and other officials to make sure everyone plays fairly.
DIFFERENT SPORTS, DIFFERENT RULES
Every sport has its own rules and regulations. To make things even more complicated, the same sport played on different levels has its own distinct rules. For example, in basketball, the team that has the ball usually has a limited time to shoot the ball. In professional basketball, the shot clock is twenty-four seconds. But guess what? In men’s college basketball, the shot clock is thirty-five seconds, and women’s college basketball uses a thirty-second shot clock. Most high school basketball games do not use a shot clock at all.
If there is more than one official monitoring a game, each referee takes a different position on the field. For example, in baseball, there is a home plate umpire as well as three other umpires stationed near the bases. Basketball and football referees are stationed around the court or field, and each has a specific area to observe. In hockey, three referees or umpires skate up and down the ice, watching the players. In addition, a penalty timekeeper keeps track of penalty times served, while two goal judges watch shots on the goals to make sure if a goal has been scored or not.
Stop the Game!
Whenever an official sees someone breaking the rules, he or she blows a whistle. Play usually stops until the problem is sorted out and a penalty is given. Penalties can be given if a player has unnecessary contact with another player or is in the wrong position, to list just two examples. Officials also decide such issues as whether a ball is fair or foul and whether a goal was actually scored. A track or swimming official makes sure that all athletes start at the same time and no one gets a head start.
We talked to the referees before the game; there are always new situations to adjust, for the refs and for us as well. Even on the ice, it’s good for players to talk and interact with the referee.
Peter Bondra
ICE HOCKEY PLAYER AND EXECUTIVE
Referees, umpires, and other officials consult rule books, but most of the time, all the information you need is in your head. In some sports, plays can be reviewed using instant-replay cameras, which allow officials to make sure the calls they make are correct. However, in most sports, the referees call ’em as they see ’em, and whatever decision made is the last word.
SPOTLIGHT
Edward G. Hochuli: Using His Mind On and Off the Field
If you’re watching a professional football game and you see a referee wearing the number 85 on his uniform, you’re watching one of the most famous and popular refs in the sport: Edward G. Hochuli. He has been an NFL official since the 1990 season and officiated in two Super Bowls.
Hochuli was born on December 25, 1950, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He played football growing up and was a linebacker on the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) team between 1969 and 1972. After earning a law degree from the University of Arizona in 1976, he became a partner in the law firm of Jones, Skelton & Hochuli in 1983.
Along with working hard at his law career, Hochuli stayed active in football. When he was a postsecondary student, one of his high school coaches suggested he officiate as a way to earn extra money. Hochuli took the coach’s advice and began officiating at Pop Warner football games. He also worked as a Little League baseball umpire between 1970 and 1973. Hochuli then moved on to officiate many high school football games in the Tucson area. He also spent many years as a college official in the Big Sky and Pacific-10 (Pac-10) Conferences.
Hochuli applied to work in the NFL in 1989 and was invited to join in 1990. His first jobs were as a field judge and a back judge. Hochuli learned from experience and from other referees he worked with. In 1992, he was promoted to referee. Asked by USA Today in 2007 to compare being a lawyer with being a referee, Hochuli once said, “A trial is nothing, pressure-wise, compared to the NFL.”
Hochuli takes football very seriously, explaining the penalties he calls, often in great detail. He has become so popular and well-known that he has been mentioned in talk-show host’s David Letterman’s Top Ten List and his likeness appears in the Madden NFL series of video games for the Xbox 360. Hochuli also appeared on the cover of the October 8, 2012, issue of Sports Illustrated.
Getting Ready
How can you prepare for a career in officiating? Just like being on the playing field, it’s best to start early and seize any opportunity you can. Here are some ideas:
In high school, learn as much as you can about the sport you are interested in. Get a rule book and memorize it! Volunteer to be a timekeeper at your school’s basketball games or officiate at a Little League game or games at a local program. Volunteering is a great way to gain experience and meet people who share your love of sports and may be able to give you a hand in furthering your career.
As far as classes, English classes such as speech, debate, and theater will help you build your self-confidence and speak clearly. Sociology and psychology courses will help you understand people and be able to understand and get along with them. Finally, most people who hope to be a referee need to be physically active. Just look at how much running a basketball or hockey referee does. And obviously, a hockey umpire has to be an excellent ice skater. So do your best in gym class and work out, especially by running, biking, or doing other cardio. After all, you can’t call a penalty if you didn’t see the action because you were huffing and puffing on the sidelines.
Being an official doesn’t require a four-year college degree, and there are no specific postsecondary programs that provide a degree in this field. However, most sports officials do go to college. As in high school, classes in communications and sociology are a good bet, along with participation in athletic activities.
There are special training schools that offer classes in officiating. For example, the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials has several schools that run summer programs. Officials can also train for Major League Baseball umpire positions at the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring and the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School. These training programs also provide certification for umpires and referees, which is necessary for anyone hoping to work as an official. Programs are taught by professional officials and feature a review of the rules as well as game situations to teach umpires and referees how to act on the field. You’ll find more information about all these organizations in chapter 11.
The objective of a referee is not to get mentioned. I tell a lot of young referees that not being mentioned is king. If you can achieve that, then that has been a pretty good game.
Alan Lewis
REFEREE
There is one more thing to keep in mind if you’re interested in a career as an official, and this is nothing you can learn in the classroom: a referee or umpire has to be able to stay cool under pressure. A player, coach, or manager might not like the call you made and argue with you. Spectators in the stands aren’t shy about heaping abuse on referees who made what they believe to be a bad call. It’s important that officials keep their cool and don’t react negatively to being yelled at or worse. It’s also important for officials to have the strength of character to make unpopular decisions and stand by them calmly and firmly. A hotheaded ref with a bad temper will not go far in this career.
Moving On Up
Sports officials work in professional and semiprofessional sports leagues, schools, youth leagues, and sports organizations. As with just about any career, no one starts at the top. The best way to get started is to volunteer or work part time on the local level. You’ll also want to look into certification.
Many officials start working with youth leagues and then move up to officiating amateur adult competitions. The next step would be college games, professional minor league games and, for a select few, a position in the major leagues.
Just like most athletes aspire to the big leagues but never get there, becoming a big league umpire or referee in any sport is very difficult. For baseball umpires, for example, the minor league is a testing and training ground. An umpire spends an average of six to eight years working at the minor league level before he is even considered for a major league umpiring job. In other sports, such as football, officials must have ten years of experience including time at the college level before they can work in the big leagues. Even if you are ready for the big leagues, there might not be a spot for you there. Umpires in the major leagues rarely leave the job and work until retirement. During one ten-year period, MLB’s American League hired only three new umpires. It’s up to expansion teams and new leagues to create more job opportunities.
Name: Ann Tembruell
Job: Official, YMCA swim meets, Escanaba, Michigan
Why do you love sports?
I was never involved in any sports when I was growing up unless it was a fun game in the neighborhood. I liked to watch them but wasn’t a participant. It has only been since I’ve had kids who are involved that I am involved.
Why do you think it’s important for young people to get involved in sports?
What we absolutely love about swimming is that it is more of a mental battle with yourself, rather than a competition with others. It’s also team oriented, as the scoring of points for your placement in a race adds to the point total for the team.
What is a typical day like for you?
A typical day at swim meet for an official starts off with getting your assignment. Depending on the number of officials working that meet, you may be assigned a broad area or a smaller area. The last meet that I was an official at this season I was one of only two! That hasn’t been typical. I had to cover not only starts and finishes but the length of half the pool. At that meet, I also was the person who pressed the starter signal, so duties can be varied. Most often at the meets I’ve worked, I’ve been a turn judge. I stand at the end of the pool that does not have the starting blocks and watch that all turns at the twenty-five-yard end are complete and regulation. Each of the four competitive strokes has its particular correct way to make the turn. But the main purpose of a swim official is to inform swimmers of improper technique. It’s not to penalize the swimmers or make them feel bad but to teach better skills.
What education did you pursue to get a job in this career?
The process is fairly easy. You take a daylong class by a certified trainer. I am lucky that at our Y we have one of the country’s leading trainers as a member. She trains all over the Midwest plus often officiates at the YMCA Spring Nationals competition.
Once you complete the course, you take an online exam. If you pass, you get your certification.
I am a Level 1 official, which basically means I need at least one Level 2 official to be my boss at a swim meet. You can become a Level 2 official only after being a Level 1 for a certain amount of time. I am required to work a total of twelve meets within a three-year time period to qualify for recertification.
What work or volunteer experiences helped you gain experience and contacts as you moved up in your career?
At the beginning of each swim season, volunteers are sought to be certified as YMCA officials. I had thought it sounded interesting when my older daughter, Claire, first started on the team. Since she needed a lot of help getting to her events and keeping track of things, I waited until she was older and more experienced. It wasn’t until my younger daughter, Lydia, had been on the team a couple years that I decided to be certified.
I did lots of other jobs at the swim meets before trying the official route. It’s just another experience that helps me better understand the sport.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The best thing is that I have a prime spot to watch my kids swim! I can always see them clearly.
What’s the most challenging thing about your job?
The most challenging is keeping track of the different incorrect nuances in strokes and turns. It really depends on where you are looking and when. If you are covering many areas, it is very hard to ensure legal races, especially as the swimmers get faster and closer together in abilities. It’s always a relief to have another judge as a backup set of eyes.
Who helped you the most in furthering your career and how?
I’ve learned a lot from the more experienced officials. They explain lots of the ins and outs of technique—that knowledge only comes with practice being an official.
As a kid, did you think you would have this career when you grew up? Why or why not? What were your expectations?
No, never thought I’d be doing it.
WHAT ABOUT WOMEN?
For most of sports’ history, all officials were men. That began to change with the creation of women’s professional leagues in basketball and soccer. History was made in 1997 when two women, Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer, became the first female referees to officiate NBA games. However, the truth remains that most officials are men.
What advice or tips can you give young people thinking of a career in your field?
Give it a try!
As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we’ve been given.
Mary Lou Retton
GYMNAST
Do you plan to stay in your career for a long time? If not, what do you think you will do after your career is over?
I do plan on renewing my certificate this fall. I don’t plan on moving up to the Level 2 certification at this time.
What demands does your job put on your personal life? How do you deal with them?
The biggest problem has been that my children are always worried I will disqualify them. The officials working the meets try hard to not oversee our own kids for just that reason. Sometimes it isn’t possible, and we have to remain impartial no matter what. I tell my kids that I will treat them just like any other swimmer while they are in the pool.
The Paycheck
Most officiating jobs do not pay very well. Officials at top colleges or in major league sports can make much more, and officials who work big events such as the Super Bowl or the World Series get bonuses. Officials also get additional money to cover travel costs, hotel bills, and food expenses while on the road. Officials at school and amateur levels are paid by the game, although many officials are volunteers.
Like becoming a professional athlete, becoming a top-level official is a big dream that few people achieve. However, this can be a great career if you enjoy sports and want to be part of the action. It’s also a good part-time career or a way to make extra money and still be part of the sports world.
Notes:
1. Sammy Said, “10 Most Popular Sports Mascots in America,” The Richest, April 20, 2011, http://www.therichest.org/sports/mascots-in-america/ and “America’s Favorite Sports Mascots,” Forbes, accessed June 20, 2013, http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eddf45glmh/americas-favorite-sports-mascots/.