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How much does ncaa basketball referee make
How Much Do NCAA Referees Make? (Quick Answer)
Referees are a huge part of sports. While their main objective is to regulate the game, the ref’s goal is to go relatively unnoticed in their efforts to control the pace and rules of the game. We all know, however, that sometimes they have to make tough calls that could swing the game one way or the other.
For all of that responsibility, including staying in shape in order to keep up with these world-class athletes, they must be compensated pretty nicely right?
An NCAA basketball referee is compensated pretty nicely for their efforts, although the pay range for every working official varies between $10,000 to over $200,000 per season.
Why are the salaries so different, and what does their schedule look like to get such a hefty salary? We will cover all of that and more below.
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Breaking Down Referee Schedules
An interesting aside on the referee lifestyle is that most of them have a full-time job on top of their officiating gigs. In a world where sports is everything, it is worthy of reminding yourself that these guys (and gals) usually come from another job to make some of the most crucial calls during a college basketball season.
Sports Illustrated did a piece on legendary referee John Higgins and his enormous workload. At one point during the season, Higgins traveled 4,800 miles in three days while reffing three different games! In the piece, Higgins called himself a “professional traveler” and joked that the games he refs was the easy part of his job. Oh yeah, Higgins owns and operates two businesses on top of reffing.
In a roughly 5-month NCAA basketball season, most refs officiate between 70-100 games. That breaks down into up to 20 games per month! Referees make their own schedules meaning they can officiate as many (to an extent) or as few contests that they want. The only catch is that if you turn games down, you may get called less to officiate.
This makes referees independent contractors which means no benefits from the NCAA. If they hurt themselves or have to take time off from the sport, they are not compensated in any way. No pensions and definitely no health coverage if they go down on the job. Most referees use their full-time jobs as methods of retirement and health insurance and roll the dice out on the court.
Referee Pay Breakdown
While the top-tier refs make up to $2,000 for a regular-season game, their counterparts in the smaller conferences aren’t so lucky. The average salary for NCAA refs across the board is only $33,000, before taxes. It seems like a lot of hassle for that amount of money, but many in the business simply love it enough to make the sacrifices.
Referees in a small conference can still make up to $50,000 doing a better side gig than washing cars or delivering pizzas. Also, just because they aren’t playing or coaching, being assigned to a big game is a rush for the officials too.
Power conference refs – those in the ACC, Big East, SEC, Big 12, Pac 12, and Big 10 – can pull in up to $2,000 per game and free travel and hotel expenses. Their jobs are higher profile which leads to more scrutiny on the media and fans’ parts, but big time refs can’t complain about the pay.
If you are lucky enough to be selected to ref in the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, you will get around $1,000 per game. NCAA Regional games will get you $1,400 a game and Final Four contests are worth about $2,000.
How Much Do Other Refs Make?
NCAA Football
NCAA basketball is the second most popular college sport behind football, so you might be wondering how much their refs make. It is no secret the millions of dollars college football brings in each year, so even though their season is one third of an NCAA basketball season, the referees still do very well.
The averages are fairly similar, albeit the college football officials workload is significantly less. College football refs make between $11,000 and $300,000 per year. Newer officials in the power conferences can take home around $800 per game. Their travel and expenses are usually covered as well.
NBA Referees
The life of an NBA ref is much different than a college hoops official.
Reffing at the professional level is a full-time seven-month out of the year job. With 82-game seasons for all 30 NBA teams, not including preseason and the playoffs, an NBA referee could be on the road up to 25 days a month. You may be thinking, “I’ll take a seven month a year job!” The NBA schedule, however, is no joke and can take a huge toll on a referee’s body.
Luckily they are compensated nicely.
An entry-level NBA official makes $600 per game and can bring home around $250,000 a year. Once you move up, your pay increases. Senior officials can make up to a half-million dollars a year! You also get ranking bonuses as a ref, based on your performances throughout the year. Essentially, if you are good at your job, you get paid more on top of your per-game salary. Read more from our NBA refs salary article.
Also Read: How to Become an NBA Referee in 9 Steps
Below are some other referee salary numbers in case you are curious:
Major League Baseball umpires: Approximately $300,000/year
NFL referees: Approximately $205,000/year
NHL referees: Approximately $275,000/year
Final Thoughts
While being a referee has plenty of drawbacks – the scrutiny and harassment you can get on a nightly basis jumps out first – you are being compensated quite nicely for your troubles.
By design, referees are behind the scenes as much as possible. It makes what they do a mystery, especially in NCAA basketball. They seem to just show up out of nowhere, officiate the game, and then disappear as fast as they came. No publicity, no pre and post-game press conferences. Nothing. Hopefully you learn a bit more about their schedules and salary from this piece.
Have you ever known a big-time college or professional referee? What did they have to say about their schedules and pay? Let us know in the comments section below!
How Much Do NBA Refs Make? – Basketball Officials' Salaries
NBA referees are arguably the best officials in the world, but their pay pales in comparison to that of top-flight pro players.
Where elite NBA players can make up to $50 million annually, pro basketball officials are estimated to earn between $200,000-550,000 per year, plus travel reimbursements and a courtside seat for games.
But getting to the NBA is hard as there are thousands of basketball referees across North America and across the planet, so the chances of ever reaching the top end of the salary bracket are slim.
From the big leagues to lower levels, here’s a breakdown of how basketball officials are compensated.
The Big Leagues
There are about 80 on-court officials in the NBA, and as many as three work each of the 1,230 regular-season games and playoffs.
The lead official is the crew chief, and he or she is joined by two umpires that keep control of the game.
Veteran NBA crew chiefs make upwards of $550,000 per year — paid out to about $7,000 per game over about 80 games per regular season.
The best of the best earn playoff assignments, which could net them an additional $9,000 per game, and if they are chosen for NBA Finals games that pay could jump by threefolds.
Less experienced NBA umpires can still make six figures but more like $3,000 per game.
These officials still receive first-class travel arrangements, hotel reimbursements and per diem. Plus they still get to be on the floor for NBA games.
Officials have been covered by a union, the NBA Referees Association (NBRA), since 1973.
In 2017, the union expanded to cover officials of the NBA G League and WNBA.
WNBA officials make about $500 per game and nearly $200,000 per season. G League officials make less than that.
The NBA also relies on replay, which means it needs officials at its video operations room in Secaucus, New Jersey each night.
Those operators make about $21 per hour, according to Glassdoor.
College
The NBA is the majors, but where do the pros pull their talent from?
College, of course.
Officials of college games are not covered by unions but still can make more than six figures — around $2,500 per game in major conferences like the Big East, Big Ten or Big XII — according to Sapling.
Though college basketball plays far fewer games than the pros do, which means the earning potential is less in college even though the per-game cost can be more.
The median income for a college basketball official is about $36,000, with food and travel expenses reimbursed, which is a nice income supplement for those who officiate college or professional football games in the fall — former NFL referee and current CBS commentator Gene Steratore and current NFL official Bill Vinovich each have officiated college basketball games during their offseason.
Those who are chosen to officiate NCAA Tournament games can make $1,000 per game more, or $2,000 per game if they reach the Final Four.
Lower Levels
There are thousands of girls’ and boys’ basketball games played every day, including high school, AAU, youth and even adult men’s leagues. These games need officials too as tempers flare up and the sport doesn’t police itself.
For high school games the pay is less, but still can be lucrative, particularly as a side job on nights and weekends.
Officials for AAU games can make $70 apiece. High-end high school refs can make between $40-$60 per game, according to Dunkorthree.com, and on weekends could officiate two or more games per day
Youth referees can make a little less than high-school refs, roughly $30 per game, but again can work multiple games per day to boost their earnings.
So now you know how much basketball officials make, why not find out how much NHL referees make too?
Information on how to develop skills for beginner basketball referees
The situation in our basketball is such that there are problems not only with the emergence of new competitive players and coaches, but also with referees. Our arbitrators are currently practically absent at the top world and continental championships.
I have heard questions more than once, and the site periodically receives requests about how to become a representative of this profession in Russia? Where to start, where to study, how to get practice, and then a license and appointments for serious matches and improve your skills? Today we will try to sort out these issues. Not everyone can become professional players and coaches, but wants to stay in basketball, so why not take the refereeing path.
First, let's decide on a license. It is issued for 1 year and is required only for servicing matches of the Russian Championship. To get it, you need to pass 3 exams:
1. Basketball Rules and Interpretations (at least 20 correct answers must be given for 25 questions). 2. Regulations of the championship and superiority of Russia. 3. Metronome physical fitness test.
Top judges, and there are about 120 of them, who regularly serve the championships of the Premier League, Super League (women and men), pass the rules twice a year, and physical training - the Metronome test 1 time. Those. if they take a regional seminar in the fall, they are admitted to the central seminar, and they take the same exams there. Those who successfully pass them receive a license for a year.
In January, a central off-season seminar is held, which highlights changes in the rules, corrects mistakes, sets some criteria and passes a theoretical exam only according to the rules and a running standard for physical training "Metronome" for field judges. If the current judge does not pass the winter exam, then he is not allowed to the second half of the season. Such cases happen.
Where to start? It is necessary, of course, to start with city competitions - first for children, then for students, for adults. In many regions there are Schools of the Young Arbiter, where classes are held free of charge. Novice judges go through a certain course and then, over time, begin to be attracted to the games of the children's championship of the city. After a person gains experience and practice, the referee committee of the regional federation recommends him to the championship of Russia, but there is also a selection system that allows children to referee competitions Championships of Russia. Further step by step, year after year on the way to the Super League, Premier League, VTB League. and FIBA.
Where to get knowledge? One of the sites that is suitable for obtaining up-to-date theoretical knowledge on basketball refereeing is ReferyPro.ru . This information portal contains the latest information on refereeing in Russia and the world. There are a lot of interesting and multifaceted things there: methodological materials, rules, video clips and recordings of seminars. The official representation of VKONTAKTE of this unique basketball portal for beginners, professional referees, as well as for all basketball fans is located at vk.com/referypro . The ReferyPro website was created by the School of Young Referees (SMA), headed by its leader - an international category referee and the head of the educational and methodological commission of the refereeing department of the RFB Fedor Borisovich Dmitriev with the support of the Moscow Regional Basketball Federation (MOFB).
In what regions are SMAs held? In addition to Moscow and the Moscow region - this is St. Petersburg, Samara, Pskov, Omsk, Izhevsk, Novosibirsk, Kaluga, Khabarovsk, Rostov, Krasnodar, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg and some other cities. In particular, in Moscow, free lessons are held on Tuesdays. In the Moscow region - on Tuesdays, Fridays at the Moscow Basketball Federation or at games. But all this is still functioning separately, there is no centralized and organized work yet. A number of European countries already have well-established training programs for judges, while we are only on the way to this.
What is our representation in Europe? Last year we had about 15 FIBA referees. This includes 12 FIBA referees from Russia. Two years ago, the Euroleague was served by three judges: Semen Ovinov, Ilya Putenko and Alexey Davydov. Then only Semyon remained, although he gets more Eurocup matches. In addition, FIBA has now changed the system. It has become similar to football - the national federation, by its rating, together with FIBA, determines the circle of referees who are worthy to work at FIBA matches. They must comply with the requirements of the European, national championship and have no violations.
What refereeing events are coming up? In the near future there will be a departure of young judges for a seminar in Sweden by a delegation of 12 people. It will be a ScaniaCup tournament. In May, the educational and methodological commission of the Department of Professional Refereeing, together with the Moscow Regional Basketball Federation, will hold two camps on the basis of the championship of the Moscow Region among boys and girls at the sports base in Pokrovsky. Judges will be invited from all regions of Russia, as well as from Belarus, maybe from Kazakhstan. This will be the 10th such camp in 4 years. In June-July, there will be a trip to the clinic of referees in the NBA or the NCAA. Fedor Dmitriev, together with one of our judges, will go to study and exchange experience with those who hold this event. This will be part of the work of the educational and methodological commission. This happened already in 2016. Plus, in June, at the invitation of the Basketball Federation of Kazakhstan, for the third time a large camp is planned in Astana to work mainly with young referees. There will be 4 days of workshop and 3 days of work on the site with feedback and video analysis of each judge.
Fedor Dmitriev shared about the work of the School of the Young Arbiter and his mission:
“Now it is most relevant and effective for me to work with young people - from 14 to 25-30 years old. To lead the continuity of generations and prepare young cadres in the right direction, who will be chosen by the federation to serve the matches of the National Championship. Recently, together with Evgeny Ostrovsky and Alexey Davydov, we successfully passed the exams for the FIBA national instructor. Therefore, we would like to pass on the knowledge we have gained to the next generations. As the chairman of the WMC and the head of the School of the Young Arbiter of the Moscow Region, I consider it my task not only to competently educate young people, but also to control the correct implementation. Now I am adjusting my training program in order to involve young guys more, so that they not only listen, but do it themselves under our control. This is the most basic thing at this time, and this is what FIBA is now demanding.
We try to set the required criteria so that they understand the difference between the mentalities of a Russian person and a European. After all, it is important not only to know the rules of refereeing, you need to correctly apply them. FIBA itself is constantly engaged in the training program for young referees, but we need to adapt their recommendations to our country in accordance with the requirements of European and international competitions. ”
The best young judges from all regions of the country travel to Prifib clinics - seminars throughout the year. Now the Department of Professional Refereeing has developed a mentoring program, according to which 10 young referees from the TOP-50 best referees in Russia by rating are assigned mentors from among five current FIBA referees.
Each year, the educational and methodological commission prepares two manuals for various types of training of judges: psychological, physical, psycho-physiological; on communication and interaction; methodological recommendations and practical advice. 6 such manuals have already been issued. We get positive feedback from them. it is useful and we will move in that direction.
Another important task that faces us as teachers who should train referees is to develop and shape simple human qualities so that the referee, in addition to fixing fouls and violations, can understand basketball, the profession and the complexity of the work of the coach and players. In a word - be human! This is very relevant at the present time."
Related
What is our representation in Europe? Last year we had about 15 FIBA referees. This includes 12 FIBA referees from Russia. Two years ago, the Euroleague was served by three judges: Semen Ovinov, Ilya Putenko and Alexey Davydov. Then only Semyon remained, although he gets more Eurocup matches. In addition, FIBA has now changed the system. It has become similar to football - the national federation, by its rating, together with FIBA, determines the circle of referees who are worthy to work at FIBA matches. They must meet the requirements of the European, national championship and have no violations.
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Sports professions. PartⅠ-Referee Edition II "Basketball referee
Due to the rapid development of basketball, the position of an arbitrator in this game, and especially a qualified master of his craft, is always in demand. If you want to know more about the profession, read the article!
A little introduction
Knowing how to play basketball is good. But in order to understand and understand all the nuances of the game, you need to go through the school of a basketball referee. Only there you can study, and in the future, correctly perceive the gestures of the referee, as well as look at the game with their independent eyes. At the same time, basketball will cease to be a game of a beloved and someone else's team, words of praise for the work done will be replaced by outbursts of anger and booing of fans, before your eyes there will be not a ring into which you need to throw the ball, but a set of basketball laws, from where one by one you need to draw out the appropriate rule for a particular situations on the floor. And for the automaticity of this process, years of practice and constant training are required.
How to get a position as an arbitrator?
At the moment, there are many basketball referee schools, the doors of which are open to everyone and fans of this sport. First of all, this is due to the lack of personnel in the globally growing game. It is best to start your career with 15-16 years old . You can later, but then it will be difficult to gain the necessary experience. FIBA has established a limit for qualifying as an international referee under 35 years of age. Although the age of some basketball referees exceeds 50 , but for a successful career it is better to start early.
In order to take part in refereeing city and regional championships, you need to have a referee license. It is issued for one year and after successfully passing the basketball rules test and the Metronome general physical fitness test.
How does a career start?
Talented personnel in basketball are required everywhere and there are practically no problems with employment. But you will have to develop your abilities first from judging children's, youth, and then adult city competitions. With an increase in the amount of accumulated experience, the council of the regional federation on a competitive basis can recommend for the championships of the regional level. Aphorism "hard to learn, easy to fight" applies to a basketball referee as it is. After all, the weaker the level of the game, the more difficult it is to judge. It's all about preparation - a less technically savvy athlete allows more marriage - hence there are more violations. Only daily work on yourself: studying the rules, consulting and discussing controversial and interesting points in the game with other referees, can give you a chance to get into such leagues as VTB and FIBA . There is a lot of methodological material on the Internet for this, various video lessons, recordings from referee seminars.
Basketball referee salary!
Hmm... If we take the basketball federations of Ukraine and Russia, then this issue is not so simple. The bottom line is that the referee's salary should be paid by the state association, but in fact the money comes to him from the clubs participating in the championship. In this regard, the arbitrators have no social. packages and pension, as such. And the fees themselves remain in the shadows. Hence the question: how honest are the referees, whose salary depends on the teams?
Salary of the chief referee of the Ukrainian Super League - 800 dollars per match.
The salary of the chief referee of the European League - 500 dollars per match.
In NBA everything is much simpler, more transparent, and the amounts are more impressive:
• the contract of the novice referee is 200 thousand dollars per year;
• the contract of senior arbitrators with experience reaches 550 thousand dollars per year.
Per game playoff referee in NBA can receive from 4,500 to 25,000 dollars, it all depends on the stage of the match in the tournament - from the first to the final.
The nuances of this profession
If you have reached the level of a professional and refereeing has ceased to be a hobby, then you probably already know how basketball referees live. And if only at the beginning of your career path, then this spoiler is for you.
Referees spend most of their lives away from home. About 3.5 weeks a month they take trips from city to city, from hall to hall. During this time, they manage to serve from 12 to 15 basketball games. It's also interesting to know that referees rarely sleep at night. After the game, they sort out mistakes and unclear situations, and many communicate with other referees, discussing each other's matches. Referees sleep more during the daytime and get up a couple of hours before the game. A true professional refereeing a match always struggles with doubts about the correctness of his refereeing. And only after reviewing the game, drawing conclusions and sorting out the mistakes, he can sleep peacefully. You can't always be right, but you can strive for it!
Basketball referee - conductor with a cool head
Why did I choose this title for the article? The answer is simple. In the hall where the basketball game takes place, the stands are located in close proximity to the site, which does not impress much in size.
If they hurt themselves or have to take time off from the sport, they are not compensated in any way. No pensions and definitely no health coverage if they go down on the job. Most referees use their full-time jobs as methods of retirement and health insurance and roll the dice out on the court.
Their jobs are higher profile which leads to more scrutiny on the media and fans’ parts, but big time refs can’t complain about the pay.
Plus they still get to be on the floor for NBA games. 
High-end high school refs can make between $40-$60 per game, according to Dunkorthree.com, and on weekends could officiate two or more games per day
Our arbitrators are currently practically absent at the top world and continental championships. 
Those. if they take a regional seminar in the fall, they are admitted to the central seminar, and they take the same exams there. Those who successfully pass them receive a license for a year. 
Further step by step, year after year on the way to the Super League, Premier League, VTB League. and FIBA. 
It has become similar to football - the national federation, by its rating, together with FIBA, determines the circle of referees who are worthy to work at FIBA matches. They must comply with the requirements of the European, national championship and have no violations. 
Fedor Dmitriev, together with one of our judges, will go to study and exchange experience with those who hold this event. This will be part of the work of the educational and methodological commission. This happened already in 2016. Plus, in June, at the invitation of the Basketball Federation of Kazakhstan, for the third time a large camp is planned in Astana to work mainly with young referees. There will be 4 days of workshop and 3 days of work on the site with feedback and video analysis of each judge. 
Therefore, we would like to pass on the knowledge we have gained to the next generations. As the chairman of the WMC and the head of the School of the Young Arbiter of the Moscow Region, I consider it my task not only to competently educate young people, but also to control the correct implementation. Now I am adjusting my training program in order to involve young guys more, so that they not only listen, but do it themselves under our control. This is the most basic thing at this time, and this is what FIBA is now demanding. 
” 
In a word - be human! This is very relevant at the present time." 
Day five - final July 28, 2021 
If you want to know more about the profession, read the article! 
First of all, this is due to the lack of personnel in the globally growing game. It is best to start your career with 15-16 years old . You can later, but then it will be difficult to gain the necessary experience. FIBA has established a limit for qualifying as an international referee under 35 years of age. Although the age of some basketball referees exceeds 50 , but for a successful career it is better to start early. 
Aphorism "hard to learn, easy to fight" applies to a basketball referee as it is. After all, the weaker the level of the game, the more difficult it is to judge. It's all about preparation - a less technically savvy athlete allows more marriage - hence there are more violations. Only daily work on yourself: studying the rules, consulting and discussing controversial and interesting points in the game with other referees, can give you a chance to get into such leagues as VTB and FIBA . There is a lot of methodological material on the Internet for this, various video lessons, recordings from referee seminars. 
packages and pension, as such. And the fees themselves remain in the shadows. Hence the question: how honest are the referees, whose salary depends on the teams? 
And if only at the beginning of your career path, then this spoiler is for you. 
