Highest-Paid Sports Officials Unveiled
What's it like to be a referee? Is the constant criticism from fans, players, and coaches worth it?
Surprisingly, yes. Referees are well-compensated for keeping global sports superstars in check.
Elite sports is a multi-billion dollar industry, so it's only fair that the referees who maintain integrity and fairness receive appropriate pay. But how much do referees in different sports earn? Who's the highest-paid referee in the world? Let's find out.
Basketball Referees: The Top Earners
The highest-paid referees hail from the NBA, the world's principal basketball league. Elite referees, such as James Capers, have reported incomes of $550,000. Moreover, they stand to earn more by officiating playoff games. The average salary for an NBA ref is $375,000.
Capers, who was the refereeing head honcho for Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals, has over 24 seasons of refereeing in the NBA and has been involved in 135 playoff games. His track record is undoubtedly impressive, which explains his substantial salary.
NBA referees with lengthy tenure and considerable experience earn a six-figure income.
It's suggested that top NBA refs receive $5,000 per playoff game they cover. Last season, James Capers officiated 12 playoff games, totalling his salary to $610,000, making him the wealthiest referee currently.
The Coolest Referees on Ice
The NHL, known for its hectic, physical action, provides its referees a lucrative salary. Base salaries for NHL referees range between $200,000 and $430,000, with an extra $27,000 for each round worked in the playoffs.
Veteran NHL referee Kevin Pollock boasts over 20 years of experience and has officiated over 200 playoff games. His estimated income is $500,000. However, this rewarding career comes with risks.
In the COVID-altered 2020 NHL season, Pollock experienced the injury-inducing repercussions. A puck struck Pollock's face during the playoffs, resulting in a fractured jaw, 15 stitches, and missing teeth.
Home Run for Baseball Umpires
MLB umpires net a sizable average salary of $235,000. Joe West, the highest-paid MLB umpire, earns a whopping $450,000 annually.
Becoming an MLB umpire is quite challenging. There are only 70 umpires in the league, most of whom have decades of experience before joining professionally. Also, the daunting workload—watching every minute of each baseball game with unwavering focus—deters even seasoned fans.
As a result, umpires earn $1,500 per game, a remarkably low figure compared to other major sports leagues.
Stepping Up for Soccer Referees
With soccer being one of the world's most popular sports, it's understandable that soccer referees are highly compensated. But in most cases, it's not true. Still, there are exceptions, like in La Liga, Spain.
La Liga's elite division rewards referees with a basic salary of €250,000 ($245,000) and a match fee of €6,000 ($5,900), making them the highest-paid soccer referees worldwide.
In the 2021-22 season, Spanish referee Carlos del Cerro Grande officiated 19 La Liga games, fetching a domestic salary of €358,000 ($351,000).
However, the real money lies in European competitions. UEFA, European soccer's governing body, favors elite referees, offering a hefty £10,000 ($11,269) per game. Carlos del Cerro Grande falls into this privileged category.
In the 2021-22 season, he oversaw eight European games, increasing his total earnings to beyond $450,000.
La Liga umpires make the most of any major European league and far exceed paychecks in the English Premier League.
Premier League referees' earnings include a basic wage ranging from £38,500 ($43,400) to £42,000 ($47,320), with an additional £1,150 ($1,295) per match they officiate. This translates to roughly £70,000 ($78,839) over an average season.
A notable example is English referee Anthony Taylor, who landed on UEFA's elite list and oversaw eight European games during the 2021/22 season. His salary would have been approximately £150,000 ($169,000).
While he was far from the least well-paid official, Taylor's earnings were not a match for his Spanish counterpart, del Cerro Grande.
Refs Get Paid Well, but Not Quite as Well as Some
Despite the fact that the NFL does not reveal official referee salary info, it was leaked in 2019 that they earned an average of $205,000 per season. This figure was $50,000 more than reported salaries in 2018, so there's a chance it's gone up since.
Referees with extensive experience get significant bonuses for working extra games during the postseason, and the Super Bowl.
Former NFL referee Walt Anderson, who earned a name for himself in the industry, bagged a whopping $250,000 in his last year as an official.
Now, isn't that something? Even factoring in the high-pressure environments they work in, it's not a bad gig.
Final Thoughts
Referees in top-level sports are well-compensated. Starting salaries already reach into the hundreds of thousands, made even more appealing by the prospect of a life-long dedication and commitment to the sport it takes to become one of the elite few.
It ain't easy, though. It takes years of hard work, dedication, and grit to make it to the top.
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