Banish Black-And-White Stripes?
Consider ways to help care for youth-sports officials
By John Engh
Photos: NAYS
Since the inception of organized youth sports, there has been a need for officials to oversee the games on fields and courts. And today, there is a serious problem—nobody wants to do it anymore!
Officials have always had a raw deal in sports. Every decision they make upsets half of the fans and some of the coaches. Can you imagine if every decision you made upset half of your workplace? And what if it was considered acceptable for your colleagues to yell and scream their disapproval every time they didn’t like one of your decisions? Who would voluntarily sign up for that type of abuse?
For years, officiating was a way for people who played a sport when they were younger to stay involved. It is well known that officials don’t do it for the money! And there is no question that the abuse—verbal, or in some awful cases physical—has dramatically increased. People can debate the reasons for this all day, but the most obvious is that the games aren’t about having fun anymore. Parents who comprise the majority of the spectators are overstressed about their child progressing to the next level. And because there are kids playing as early as three years old, that stress level has multiplied. The results? Parents are worried about every little thing that happens during a game.
I Quit
A while back, the National Alliance for Youth Sports hired a young woman right out of college. She loved the work we did at the organization. She had excelled at many sports when she was younger, including lacrosse and basketball, which she played at the club level in college.
As soon as she began working for us, she looked for local basketball leagues that needed help with officiating. The City of West Palm Beach was more than happy to hire her, as she was more qualified than the typical first-time official. At $20 a game, she worked games a couple times a week. While the pay barely covered her gas money, she told me she would have done it for free. She loved watching kids score baskets and especially their improvement. It was fun for her to have the opportunity to teach after calling different fouls, and to show the kids how to correct their mistakes.
Then one night everything changed.
Toward the end of the season and for whatever reason, parents from each team became rather intense. Every foul called was followed by a parent groaning or shouting at her. The 8- and 9-year-old girls didn’t seem to notice, but she heard it all. The parents began arguing with each other and at the same time making comments every time she blew the whistle. Finally, the game ended. She grabbed her bag and headed right to the parking lot. Before she could reach her car, a large man ran up to let her know how he felt about her calls. Not wanting to engage him, she jumped into her car and locked the door as he yelled at her through the closed window. She cried all the way home and was still shaking when she recounted the story to me the next day. She had been an official for one season and decided she could never go back.
Spread Positive Vibes
Unfortunately, episodes like this one play out nightly throughout the country; as a result, the number of people who sign up to volunteer their time is dwindling. That is why it is so encouraging to learn what the National Trail Parks and Recreation District in Ohio is doing, which earned it our prestigious Excellence in Youth Sports Award. Their officials no longer wear traditional black-and-white striped referee shirts; instead, they don colorful T-shirts with positive messages emblazoned on the back, such as “The Game Belongs To The Kids. You Are A Guest.” These messages serve as wonderful reminders to coaches, parents, and spectators to keep their emotions in check during games. The officials love the impact the messages have had in cutting down the critical comments hurled from the stands.
Seeing an idea like this gives me hope that people will understand the importance of taking care of those who officiate youth sports. Officials deserve to be treated with respect.
John Engh is executive director of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) in West Palm Beach, Fla. He can be reached via email at jengh@nays.org. To join more than 3,000 communities by starting a NAYS Member Organization, visit www.nays.org, email nays@nays.org or call (800) 729-2057.