In Tough Times, Referee Work A Good Call


The Star-Ledger:

Mike Velez always starts his day with a bedside prayer, followed by a descent to the kitchen to reheat the coffee his wife has left for him.

With the “Today” show on in the background, Velez, 51, begins the numbing process that has defined the past eight months of unemployment: He logs onto his computer and checks his e-mail for any job leads.

When afternoon crawls into the empty house after another day of fruitless searching, Velez retrieves the black leather duffel bag he keeps on the chair in his den.

Inside are his Nike basketball sneakers, a black-and-white striped uniform and about a dozen whistles — everything he needs for his only means of income. Velez spends several nights each week working as a basketball official, the job that has kept him afloat during the worst economic downturn in nearly a century.

With the national unemployment rate at 9.7 percent, hundreds of New Jerseyans have turned to — and in cases like Velez, returned to — officiating youth, recreation and high school sporting events to supplement their income.

Officials associations across the country, including New Jersey, have reported record numbers of applicants.

“All we needed was a financial crisis to do all the recruiting for us,” said Barry Mano, president of the National Association of Sports Officials and also the founder of Referee Magazine. “They absolutely are seeing a major uptick in registrations in people wanting to be sports officials.”

Photo by avinashkunnath.

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