After further review … The National Association of Sports Officials is celebrating its 40th year as a professional officials organization. The profession of sports officiating is much older than 40 years, but it took an enterprising and tireless effort by its founder, Barry Mano, to create an association not only to bring all sports officials as one but also to recognize and promote the art and science of sports officiating as a profession.

If you will pardon this personal history, I recall my dad, Jim Sr., coaching his high school football team one afternoon with other coaches being the on-field officials; then the following afternoon Dad going to their school to officiate their games. All without pay, of course. I picked up on that as an Occidental College senior and officiated our intermural games – again for free!

Following my college graduation, I joined the Southern California Football then Basketball Officials associations to qualify to officiate local high school games. They were paying $12.50 per game and I was able to work three games each week thereby earning $37.50 to supplement my teaching salary. Thus, began my 40-year career in sports officiating.

When Mano came calling in the late 1970s waving the NASO banner recruiting me to join and inviting me to be the keynote speaker at NASO’s first convention in 1981 to be held in San Francisco, I eagerly accepted. The attendance was small, about 280 more or less, and the budget smaller. The association has grown today to some 26,000 members and the convention has now morphed into NASO Summits with its 40th being held virtually for the first time.

Mano, with a journalistic background, jumped on sports writing noting that sports officials were getting bad press. “Nobody writes about an official who makes a good call,” said Mano, an official himself who comes from an officiating family. Further, Mano sought to make officiating a profession, not a hobby.

Today, NASO leads the industry in providing premier officiating educational benefits by creating alliances and serving as a voice for officials nationally. It has grown to be the foremost advocate for officials and officiating. When it began, it was primarily for baseball, basketball and football officials, but Mano has seen to it that all sports officials are recognized. Further, he has reached out to sports companies who have stepped up to sponsor NASO summits.

While the major credit is due Mano, he will tell you that much credit goes to those past and present sports officials who have become members and serve in the NASO leadership.

Will you look at sports officiating as a profession?

To contact Jim Tunney, go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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