Do referees get a lot of money?
The NFL does not release salary figures for referees but, according to Sporting News, the highest paid NFL refs make $250,000 annually. NFL referees on average usually make about $205,000 per year.
There are two ways to pay off the referee. First, football clubs bribe the referee directly. Most football clubs employ staff responsible for bribing the referee. Because bribing referees is illegal, football clubs often employ those who are loyal, experienced, reliable, and well-informed.
Salary Ranges for Ncaa Football Referees
The salaries of Ncaa Football Referees in the US range from $11,745 to $312,976 , with a median salary of $57,038 . The middle 57% of Ncaa Football Referees makes between $57,038 and $142,237, with the top 86% making $312,976.
Not intentionally, but it seems at times that the crowd and the official's familiarity with what the home team is trying to accomplish do influence a referee's subconscious, and as a result—his whistle. Statistics prove that home teams receive more calls in their favor.
As you can probably guess, officiating the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of it all for NFL referees, who can receive a bonus between $40,000-$50,000 from the annual event if they are chosen to call it. It's also worth noting that they are paid between $1,000 and $5,000 for each playoff game.
Refs are actually not paid per game, but rather annually. They earn a flat salary for the season and then bonuses, which can come per-game or for working postseason games.
Major and national leagues
According to Indeed Salaries data, referees make an average of $20.65 per hour . This hourly figure can be translated into earnings of approximately $41,300 a year.
Who Is the Highest-Paid NFL Referee? The highest-paid NFL referee reportedly is Brad Allen. Walt Anderson did top the list up until the end of the 2021-2022 season when he retired. Both refs made about $250,000 for the 2021-2022 season.
"Referee abuse" is a verbal statement or physical act not resulting in bodily contact which implies or threatens physical harm to a referee or the referee's property or equipment.
1 most dangerous sport to officiate is hockey. Players are flying around the ice with a rubber disc that can leave a stick at over 100 mph. If you have ever been hit by a puck without pads on, it hurts. These officials are right in the thick of the action, with that puck flying past them at outrageous speeds.
Why are referees quitting?
In a survey conducted by Officially Human, which is an organization that promotes respect among referees, they found that out of 19,000 referees, 60% said that their top reason for quitting is the verbal abuse they take from parents and fans.
It is also important to note that the quoted figure of $205,000 per year is the average for officials, not just the recognized NFL head referees. Therefore, the average salary for NFL refs could be slightly higher.

The NFL does not release salary figures for referees but, according to Sporting News, the highest paid NFL refs make $250,000 annually. NFL referees on average usually make about $205,000 per year.
The NFL won't disclose how much money their referees make, but based on the expired collective bargaining agreement from 2019, officials made an average of $201,000 per year, according to Money.com. That accounts for all officials that appear on the field, which means the head referees for games could make even more.
Channelling Nerves is Possible
Many referees can get very fearful and uptight before they officiate their appointed fixtures, so much so that they dread refereeing. Many may feel very irritable on the journey to the venue, they may even be sick or in some cases they refuse to officiate.
Rules for referees go considerably further. They are prohibited from “participating in any gambling or placing bets of any kind.”
“Because officials are under a microscope from the time they step onto the court until the final buzzer, it is best if they refrain from touching fellow officials, players, coaches and those working around the game due to the sensitivity many have toward touching,” says Debbie Williamson, NCAA women's basketball ...
But they're not that well financially rewarded. According to various reports, a professional NFL cheerleader can earn around $75,000 a year. But a supporting cheerleader is only paid around $20,000 a year. Professional cheerleaders are paid a salary of around $15-20 an hour.
Officials are considered to be part-time employees of the NFL. As a result, they don't receive insurance benefits. However, they do have a 401k plan with a partial matching contribution.
Thieneman's latest clip, which drew nearly 300,000 viewers in one day, claims that the average NFL water boy salary is actually around $53,000.
Are refs ever punished?
No, but they do get written up. At the end of every game, each official's work is evaluated by senior non-field referees. They're not just looking for bad calls, but other things that you wouldn't even notice like an official being out of position or not paying attention in a critical situation.
No, but all referees have their work reviewed by senior officials every week, and they get feedback on what they did wrong and are given training on how to improve. An officiating crew will be discussing calls at half-time and at the end of the game, but that's not their primary concern.
refereeing is a high stressful task (Goldsmith & Williams, 1992; Voight, 2009). Sport referees must continuously cope with different stressors that may influence their level of anxiety during competition.
Pros to Reffing:
You get to work with kids and help them learn at the younger levels. The $/hour rate can be fairly high depending on the sport and level. Helps you stay in shape! Adult rec leagues provide low-stress, but often high-income opportunities.
Age. A referee must be at least 25 years old on 1 January to be eligible for International Referee listing nomination on that calendar year. An assistant referee is eligible at the age of 23 years. In 2016, the maximum age limits for the list (45, or 38 for first-time listees) was dropped.
The Super Bowl ring. The officials get Super Bowl rings just like the players do. They aren't as big as the players' rings, but they are still valuable pieces of jewelry.
This might come as a surprise to football fans, but NFL officials have other jobs outside throwing penalty flags and driving head coaches nuts.
Compared to their peers in the NFL, NHL and MLB, NBA referees' salaries are among the best. NFL referees make an average of $205,000; MLB umpires rake in as much as $450,000; NHL referees earn approximately $262,500 on average. It pays well to wear the stripes.
Timothy Francis Donaghy (/ˈdɒnəɡi/; born January 7, 1967) is a former professional basketball referee who worked in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons from 1994 to 2007 until he was caught in a gambling scandal.
Historically, courts have found that lawsuits against officials arising from an injured party's participation in a sporting event are only actionable if the injured party demonstrates recklessness, willfulness, intentional misconduct, malice, or wanton conduct on behalf of the official.
How do you manipulate a referee?
- Build Trust Before The Game. ...
- Learn Their Names. ...
- Compliment Them on Correct Calls. ...
- Ask Them to Watch Specific Parts of the Game. ...
- Teach Your Players How to Respond. ...
- Don't Be a Sarcastic Jerk. ...
- You Must Adjust to The Referees. ...
- Always Shake Hands After the Game.
Baseball might be the easiest because for the most part it is cut and dry. Obviously strike zones vary for different umps and your lucky if there is one close call on the basepaths each game.
...
Pierluigi Collina.
Domestic | ||
---|---|---|
1995–2005 | FIFA listed | Referee |
Degree of Difficulty: Sport Rankings | ||
---|---|---|
SPORT | END | RANK |
Boxing | 8.63 | 1 |
Ice Hockey | 7.25 | 2 |
Football | 5.38 | 3 |
Can VAR overrule a referee? No. The final decision is always taken by the on-field referee.
This occupation has been voted '66%' by our users to be fully automated within the next two decades. Our visitors have voted that it's quite likely this occupation will be replaced by robots/AI. This is further validated by the automation risk level we have generated, which suggests a 62% chance of automation.
According to the National Federation of State High School Association, there has been a loss of about 50,000 referees and umpires nationwide since the 2018-2019 season. That's forced schools to move around their game-day schedules.
Refs are required to arrive at least 24 hours before a game. They fly first-class and the league covers all their travel expenses. Once everyone's in town, the crew meets for several hours, preparing for the next day's game and reviewing the week's quiz. Oh, and there's more homework.
Six and a half hours is an eternity for an NFL game official, who has to make split-second decisions on the field. “I like having two different jobs,” Hill said. “One of the things that I find fascinating is this is my day job and everything we do is very calculated.
No Illegal Gambling NFL Personnel are strictly prohibited from participating in or facilitating any form of illegal gambling. Restrictions on Legal Gambling NFL Personnel are restricted or prohibited from engaging in the following gambling-related activities, regardless of whether such activities are legal: 1.
Do NFL referees need a degree?
There are no specific education requirements for working in the NFL as a referee. Many NFL referees have at least a bachelor's degree in any major, though. Those majoring in sports health, sports management or a related field may become more prepared for the role.
The average estimated annual salary, including base and bonus, at National Football League (NFL) is $128,076, or $61 per hour, while the estimated median salary is $130,100, or $62 per hour.
The highest-paid referees of any sport are those in the NBA, the world's biggest basketball league. Elite NBA refs like James Capers have a reported salary of $550,000, with the chance to earn more by officiating playoff games. Even without post-season games included, the average salary of an NBA ref is $375,000.
Sporting News says refs are not paid per game. Instead, they earn a flat salary for the season and may receive per-game bonuses and bonuses for officiating playoff games and the Super Bowl. The average pay-per-game bonus for a ref is estimated to be $2,500.
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.
How much NFL professional cheerleaders make depends on their experience level, where they live and which team they cheer for. The annual median salary for NFL professional cheerleaders is $52,570, which is $25.27 per hour. The top 10 percent of NFL professional cheerleaders earn $124,000 annually or $59.62 per hour.
Thieneman's latest clip, which drew nearly 300,000 viewers in one day, claims that the average NFL water boy salary is actually around $53,000. That figure is also reported elsewhere, such as the sports website Stack, although data from the league itself isn't readily available.
In many ways, it takes a lot to be a referee, and it's not even a full-time job. They don't receive days off or get any company health insurance. The NFL also requires them to be physically fit, know the rules and travel to games.
Refs are actually not paid per game, but rather annually. They earn a flat salary for the season and then bonuses, which can come per-game or for working postseason games.
The salaries of College Football Referees in the US range from $11,753 to $314,406 , with a median salary of $57,014 .
Do NBA refs make good money?
The most recent estimations put NBA referees annual salaries between $180,000 and $550,000. Other projections put the base salary for new referees somewhere around $250,000. Entry-level referees are on the lower end of that scale and receive larger paydays the longer they are in the league.
While the NFL will cover their travel expenses, refs usually have to make their own travel arrangements and do not travel with the NFL players. Refs tend to arrive at their destination the day before the game.
The average salary for an NFL ball boy is $36,300 per year.