Motivation in Officiating

MOTIVATION IN OFFICIATING


To Mr. Don Steponchev for his encouraging words....

Motivation is the set of reasons that determines one to engage in a particular behavior. According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in the basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, hobby, goal, state of being, ideal. (Deci&Ryan,1985)

In this article, I’ll talk about the types of motivation and what motivates an official to improve in officiating. Motivation comes from two things: you, and other people. There is extrinsic motivation, which comes from others, and intrinsic motivation, which comes from within you. For example; intrinsic motivation occurs when in the beginning the official, engages in a game, as a hobby, without obvious external incentives. However, when the referee is promoted and starts to become professional, status (e.g. being an international official) may provide a more powerful factor than the motivation provided by an enjoyable workplace. Intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from inside of the performer. That is, the official participates for the love of the sport. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the official.. Status is the most obvious example, but relagation and threat of not having (good) games to officiate are also common motivations. The crowd may cheer the official on, and this motivates him or her to do well. Officiating decisive games are also incentives. Competition is often extrinsic because it encourages the official to overcome the others, not to enjoy the rewards of the game.

After understanding the types of motivation, we can have a look at what motivates an official to improve.. Rewards are important factors. Rewards are external to the person; such as praise or money. For example; being congratulated by his mentor, game commissioner, coaches or players after a tough game, the official is motivated. Rewards are sometimes internal to the person; for example, satisfaction or a feeling of accomplishment.. For example; having officiated a final game with no problems, the official is again motivated. Goals are another important factor. If the official sets himself short or long term goals and be determined to reach them, he is most likely enthusiastic to improve himself in officiating. Another important factor is having fun while officiating. If you still enjoy and love the game, you’ll still be learning or sharing information with your peers.

To conclude, motivation is a very significant factor in officiating. To be a successful and respected official, one must find ways to motivate himself to improve in officiating.
Utku ERTAN
FIBA/IWBF Referee