I am hanging it up

[concertman1971]

28 minutes ago, BigBlue4u said:

one of the reasons umpire pay is low is because umpire associations keep screwing each other by offering a league to do games at a lower than the prevailing price.

[Velho]

1 hour ago, BigBlue4u said:

one of the reasons umpire pay is low is because umpire associations keep screwing each other by offering a league to do games at a lower than the prevailing price

Saw similar (I've been told) in our local HS league. Story goes that the coaches didn't get along with the primary ump group (didn't like the calls? someone called a wife ugly? idk) so they went with a splinter group of the umps that weren't getting post season assignments because of poor performance (new group runs 2 man, old group 3 man plus new group "doesn't have ongoing education requirements").

The league is going back to the primary group this coming year.

[aaluck]

17 hours ago, BigBlue4u said:

Also, while I'm at it, one of the reasons umpire pay is low is because umpire associations keep screwing each other by offering a league to do games at a lower than the prevailing price.

That's one problem we do not have here in Alabama.  Do you guys set your own prices or are they dictated by the HSAA?.  Here the AHSAA sets the rates for all sports, all levels.  I do not like that because we could definitely do better setting our own prices BUT it removes the 'competitive' bidding for contracts.

[834k3r]

I was asked by an area tournament organization to umpire. "That could be fun," I thought. I asked what the compensation was--between $65-$80, depending upon level (9u all the way up to 18u).

Cool. Do you have any travel compensation? Nope.

Hmm. You're asking me to drive 4 hours one way to a town in which I know no one (hotel stay is mandatory)? Between gas and lodging, I'd have to cover 6 games to break even.

No thanks.

[BigBlue4u]

On 11/6/2022 at 3:02 PM, The Man in Blue said:

@Dottelife, I am sorry to hear it but I totally get it.  Some days I think I am getting close to that point also.

The culture is out of whack and it feels like the ONLY thing we can do to fight back is to quit.  I'm not saying quit everything, but maybe @umpstu's approach is it.  If you know teams, coaches, schools, TDs, or facilities that are constant issues, DO NOT WORK THERE.  If you know they are one-umpire games, DO NOT WORK THEM. 

While I will agree there is a shortage of officials, that is NOT the cause of this problem.  It is the result.  One of the causes is too many games being scheduled and tournament directors who have figured out they can blame the umpire shortage while pocketing more money.  Then they cater to the problem coaches and parents to keep that revenue coming in.  

I know there are many on here who think working one-man is acceptable, but I am adamant that we need to SAY NO.  I understand there are times when something happens and we have to push forward or finish a game solo, but WE NEED TO STOP ACCEPTING SOLO CONTRACTS, even if it is for slightly more pay.  We do not need to work those games.  We do not "have" to work those games. 

If you know TDs or facilities that are not supporting their umpires, DO NOT WORK THERE.  There have been teams I have "blacklisted" before.  I would not work for those schools until their coaches or their ADs left.  Eventually, other umps began blacklisting them, too.  I would get calls from them and turn them down.  Finally, the AD asked me why I wouldn't work there ... I told her it was because of her coach and how he treats people.  She said, "Yeah ... that's why I'm always looking for officials and seems to be why I can't you guys {her regulars and veterans} anymore."

I have two tournaments/facilities I have blacklisted because they did not support us on ejections.  In one case, the tournament rules stated an ejected coach could not come back the next game.  We had a dual ejection (HC and AC) which involved them both becoming aggressive towards us.  After the game the TD came to us and said "Well, their team advanced so we wanted to see what you guys thought about letting them coach tomorrow morning.  They said if they can't, their team may not show up."  My partner and I wished the TD luck on finding a replacement for us on such short notice.  We both gave up four games and enjoyed having Sunday off.

Do not be afraid to turn down games.  Do not worry about who is going to work them.  Lean on your local associations to get more involved in actually becoming advocate organizations for umpires, not just booking agents for tournament directors and hosts for paid training.

Very classy move!!

[andydufresne]

On 11/9/2022 at 12:45 PM, aaluck said:

A couple of years ago had a local high school age tournament and it got very, very, testy--almost came to blows.  The TD was desperate for umpires so the day before and the days of the three day event he had increased the pay, but only to the guys that were last additions, not the guys previously committed.  It was played at 5 different college/HS fields around the city.  Word got out (as you knew it would) that some of the umpires were making between $10-$35 more per game.  The guys that were making $50 were not pleased to hear that the other guy on the field was making $80. When it came time to pay there was a huge confrontation to the point police had to be called.  The TD's position remained that "hey, you guys agreed to $50, they didn't".

 

I quit after 33 years in 2015. Over the years, when the ADs all went to using assigners to hire officials, and the assigners decided where, when, and even IF you worked, and dictated common game fees for all regardless of ability, it ruined a big part of the allure of officiating as a second job, which was deciding your own schedule and rates.

 

In my latter years, I got lots of calls from TDs, assigners and ADs "desperate" for officials for tonight's games. I would say I would work and told them my fee. They would be aghast: "We don't pay that much." They'd tell me their (ridiculously low) fee and I'd say, "I don't work for that little. Good luck with your search." On a few occasions they called back and agreed to my fee, but you could tell they held grudges over it.

 

I tell that tale because I have been one of those guys who got paid $35 more per game than the other umpires because they agreed to an insultingly low fee when I would not. I'm with the TD on this one: the umpires who agreed to $50 got paid what they agreed to work for. Why were they mad at the TD because other umpires were better negotiators?

[The Man in Blue]

On 11/10/2022 at 3:59 PM, BigBlue4u said:

Very classy move!!

Not classy at all.  Necessary.

You want to allow coaches to charge at you and physically threaten you with no repercussions, then you come back for another one of their games the next day -- after they have been told they are special and the rules don't apply to them?  All the more power to you.  

[jjb]

I moved from a good organization in Texas to a small organization in NH. I went from a two-man game that fully and completely backed the officials to a one-man system where the local rules made zero sense to anyone who actually umpired a game. I lasted one season, hated it and retired.

 

It seems that Organizations feel that, if an Umpire (or six) leaves the League, they’ll just go to the Umpire Tree and pick off a few more people and off we go. They soon find that’s not the case. A lot of people do these games for money, and some do it (like me) do it to pay for their golf and beer tab. But most do it because it’s fun. And when it stops being fun, they leave. I left it because it stopped being fun. When Organizations realize that, they’ll prosper.