Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Officiate at competitive athletic or sporting events. Detect infractions of rules and decide penalties according to established regulations. Includes all sporting officials, referees, and competition judges.
15,780 people do this job in the US. $40,710 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 15%
- 7%
- 77%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 12%. Today's estimate: 14%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officiate at sporting events, games, or competitions, to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 34% | 2.5 h1.7 h to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Judge performances in sporting competitions to award points, impose scoring penalties, and determine results.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 17% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Keep track of event times, including race times and elapsed time during game segments, starting or stopping play when necessary.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 14% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Research and study players and teams to anticipate issues that might arise in future engagements.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Confer with other sporting officials, coaches, players, and facility managers to provide information, coordinate activities, and discuss problems.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Inspect game sites for compliance with regulations or safety requirements.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Inspect sporting equipment or examine participants to ensure compliance with event and safety regulations.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Direct participants to assigned areas, such as starting blocks or penalty areas.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 1% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Verify scoring calculations before competition winners are announced.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 1% | 17 min8 min to 25 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Coaches and Scouts24% now, 38% by 2028
- Athletes and Sports Competitors12% now, 12% by 2028
- Amusement and Recreation Attendants20% now, 21% by 2028
- First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services24% now, 30% by 2028
- Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors56% now, 67% by 2028
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives29% now, 53% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).