Fewer and fewer officials

Visalia Times-Delta | Tulare Advance Register – www.visaliatimesdelta.com -

Ref mix-up sidelines Norfolk’s youth football

Just about anyone who has attended a high school football game has seen some type of discontent about officials, but Lozano said the problems his association has with verbal abuse has nothing to do with an irate high school coach or a chorus of boos bellowing out from the stands after a controversial call.

“It’s youth football,” Lozano said. “The abuse you take at a youth football game is five times worse than a high school game. You try to explain yourself at times, and it just gets worse. … The abuse we take at a youth football game is tough. The people in youth football think they can abuse an official like they see on TV.

It seems that any number of youth sports organizations are having a hard time finding enough officials. More and more pre-high-school-aged events I see are entirely officiated by youth officials not much older than the players.

Relationship between coaches, referees is key

Recordnet.com: Online exclusive: Relationship between coaches, referees is key

Many high school and youth sports administrators express concern these days over a shortage of judges, umpires and referees. A big part of the problem, they say, is abuse of officials by fans, parents, coaches and competitors.

So what’s the solution? Tina Syer of the sportsmanship-focused Positive Coaching Alliance suggests that coaches and referees establish more of a collaborative relationship.

“We really believe coaches and referees ideally should be working together to give kids the best possible experience in sports,” said Syer, associate director of the Stanford-affiliated organization. “Too often, the roles become adversarial. It becomes coaches and fans against the refs, and it doesn’t honor the game.”

Why it’s really hard to get good officials

Recordnet.com: Fan abuse turns many away from officiating

I was going to blog this anyway – really.

I was going to point out that we’ve put ourselves into a catch-22 where we are hiring more and more youth officials for youth sports since many adults won’t do it. I was going to point out that this vicious cycle would potentially create more problems as the younger officials may be less experienced and less mature.

I was going to pull out the quote:

…in an era in which deriding those who officiate sports competitions is as much a part of the game as cheering the competitors, many officials choose not to persevere.

Until I hit this:

Barry Mano, president of the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), related another recent story: the tale of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard, who showed up at a women’s basketball playoff game wearing a striped shirt and allegedly proceeded to ceaselessly berate the officials.Wisconsin-Green Bay spokesman Scott Hildebrand acknowledged Shepard wore a referee’s jersey to a recent game, but added, “As far as him berating officials, I guess I’d have to take issue with that.”

Mano said he was not at the game but was told of Shepard’s actions by a NASO member.

“This is the guy who runs the school, and he thinks it’s OK to come to a game in a referee’s shirt and scream at the officials?” Mano said. “That’s unacceptable.”

Seriously….

On today’s version of Mr. Shepard’s web page at UWGB, he is touted as the Phoenix’s “number one fan” and shown donning face paint with the school logo. (This may also be interesting in light of his potential imminent departure from UWGB to become the president of Western Michigan University. Good thing the number one fan got face paint rather than a tattoo!)

I guess I have to join Mr. Mano in wondering why a university chancellor would take part in such behavior (if that is actually what happened).

Of course, it would have been a better story if Donna Shalala had done it!

Need for officials

Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard – Sports

Yes, the sound of youth sports is here, but the whistles of the referees may not.

The director of officials for both Pop Warner and the Sierra Youth Football League said more referees are needed for their programs. Although several individuals have signed up from the Fallon and Fernley area, more refs are needed.