The greatest season of the year is upon us. No, not summer … youth sports season! And with that in mind, I’d like to send a message to the parents and coaches of the young athletes.
LEAVE THE OFFICIALS ALONE!
The quality of sports officiating at the college and professional levels is the highest it’s ever been. However, within one generation, that may no longer be the case. New officials of every age are leaving their respective sports at an alarming rate. Fewer men and women in the officiating pipeline mean fewer qualified candidates are ready for advancement, which will ultimately lower the quality of officials at the top levels.
Society allows ridicule of sports officials at all levels of play
There are many reasons for an official to leave the game, but the No. 1 factor is the growing lack of sportsmanship from coaches, parents and fans. Officiating exists as an avocation because ex-athletes (or the kids who were never picked in gym class) want to stay involved in the sports that mean so much to them, no matter their level of participation.
But most are quitting early, abandoning that passion before they even get the chance to see if they have what it takes to be successful. Assignors around the country are already having to ask schools to move games to different nights of the week so there will be enough officials to cover all the games. Only in officiating does society allow people to openly chastise, berate and threaten someone for simply doing their job.
Can you imagine this behavior in a restaurant, hospital or courtroom? Security or the police would be called immediately and the offender promptly escorted out, potentially to face legal consequences. But unless there is a physical altercation during the athletic contest, no rules seem to apply.
If this were only true at the college level and above, where officials already have the experience and thick skin to ignore it, I wouldn’t be writing. But society allows sports officials to be ridiculed no matter the level of play. Attend any little league game and you will find parents or coaches relentlessly badgering 16-year-old rookie umpires just trying to find their way behind the plate.
The best officials were once young and made mistakes
All officials make mistakes, and young ones make a lot of them. But that’s where it needs to be happening — not in the SEC, MLB, etc. when careers and millions of dollars are on the line. The officials who ultimately succeed are the ones who make those mistakes, learn from them and strive to improve every game.
But how much can we really expect them to put up with from “fans” in the process? How many future high-quality officials are we deterring by treating them like trash from the get-go?
The worsening conditions, impossible expectations and inexcusable behaviors that officials at all levels are forced to endure are leading to a sharp decline in officials across the spectrum of sport, and when there are no quality officials left, everyone loses.
Where do you think college and professional officials come from? They all start in youth sports. Please, just give them a chance.
Matt Austin is an ESPN college football rules analyst and retired forty-year, multi-sport official.His thoughts do not reflect those of ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Youth sports officials are over being trashed by parents | Opinion
