I don’t do basketball, but it’s up to the individual schools to set the referee pay. There are some districts that will pay a little extra if a ref has to go more than say, 30 miles or whatever. For meals refs (around here) usually get whatever they want from concessions.
I do umpire though, and for baseball we typically get paid a little more I’d say. Most schools around here are in the $120 range give or take, and that’s for a JV/V game. So your night starts at 5:30 ish and you get home around maybe 9:30, 10:00 if you have to drive.
I don’t really do it for the money, but I wouldn’t even consider it for less than $100. With baseball an ump can pretty much work every night if they want, and there are always Saturday tournaments somewhere. The pay for those varies a lot, but if you want to stay busy you can actually make some serious bank May/June/July. I guess I do it because I like baseball and it’s a way to stay involved without having the responsibilities of coaching. I’ve had friends ask me to get started reffing at freshman games and work into JV/V, but no way am I going to take that kind of abuse from parents 6’ away lol. I also don’t feel as confident in my rules knowledge as I do in baseball. With baseball you’re at least 30’ away from the crowd most times, and heckling umps is kind of part of the game. You expect it and as long as it isn’t swearing or threatening you just let it roll. Some of it is actually funny and there are people who are really good at it.
Basketball parents and coaches are just another level of douche baggery that I don’t want to put up with.
Thanks.
I do USSF and NFHS soccer (also college-age but not college). In Arizona, we get $45 for JV and $60 for varsity (virtually all assignments are JV/V combos). Most games are metro which are $10 mileage. Out-of-town games get a ref association-negotiated per mile rate.
An occasional AD will bring candy bars or chips to the ref crew but that’s it. We don’t get freebies or discounts at the concession stand. We can get tap water from the coolers they provide both teams at the benches but most of us bring our own water and/or Gatorade.
High school crowds can be obnoxious but we are far enough away we generally don’t notice. The AD or someone in authority is there to deal with spectator issues. I was escorted to my car only once when the home team lost a playoff match on a controversial call.
The “sweet spot” now is middle school which pays $50 for a 60-minute match (two 30-minute halves) plus $10 mileage. Most games are shorter than that due to visitors showing up late and no lights at the middle school fields.
The only USSF soccer I do is college-age youth and adult amateur. Used to do a lot of younger youth but got fed up with foul-mouthed and abusive coaches, players and parents. Never expected to toss a 12-year-old girl but I did when after giving her a yellow card for her rough play she said “F—- you, ref.”
I used to be the ref who stepped up to help when assigners were short-handed. No more. They make pleas to the effect of “youth players deserve good referees, too” but I disagree. When their parents and coaches treat referees the way they do and some of the leagues are reluctant to act, they deserve the referees they get — youngsters just starting out who have little clue what they’re doing, or old, out-of-shape former high school refs who never find their way out of the Referee Restraining Circle.
I do it for the fun and love of the game. The money is a nice side benefit. My most rewarding experiences are doing Special Olympics matches, which are 100 percent voluntary, no pay.