Job Description

• A referee's job is to enforce the rules and regulations and maintain the progress of a variety of sports games. Referees have the right to impose penalties on a player for misconduct. Referees must ensure that all players follow the rules and play fairly. Some referees can consult tapes of a play to determine if any rules were broken, while other referees must call the play as they see it. Thus, a referee must always keep a sharp eye on the happenings during a sports game and be objective when calling a foul or penalty. Referees work in the professional sports arena, recreational sports arena and educational sports arena (school and college sports).
  
  

Typical Workday

• A referee spends a typical workday on the sports field, watching and controlling the progress of the game. The workday for a referee may be spent anywhere a sporting event is held, including international and local competitions or games like the Olympics. The referee must maintain the standards of the game at all times. Players, coaches and spectators depend on the referee to call fouls and unfair plays. The referee has the right to stop and start all games or events. Depending on the type of sport, such as gymnastics, referees also award points to athletes, penalize athletes and determine their placement on the scoreboard. In the event of a tie, the referee may be called to determine the winner. The referee uses a series of sports signals to bring attention to infractions and rule-breaking.
  
  

Other Duties

• Other daily duties for a professional referee include inspecting sporting equipment to make sure it is safe for use and complies with regulations. Referees also keep track of event times to ensure the games don't exceed time limits. The referee must keep accurate track of any elapsed times, as well as any minutes added to the end of a game due to fouls and time-outs. A major part of a professional referee's work duties is resolving any problems or complaints by athletes and coaches. There are many instances in which the participants will complain about penalties imposed on them. The referee must review any available footage and work to resolve disputes between players or teams. It is also up to the referee to ensure that all scoring calculations are accurate before announcing winners or awarding medals. After a sporting event, the referee must also write and issue reports regarding any complaints, infractions and other problems that arose during the game. These are reported to the appropriate sports organizations.