Sidelining Spectators
Exploring solutions to curb violent behavior at sporting events
By John Engh
On a recent drive to work, I decided to write a column about the importance of coaches and administrators knowing about heat illness and how to help prevent it in youth sports. Living in South Florida, I always found the subject intriguing.
© Can Stock Photo / bds
As I parked the car, I received a text from a number with no name identification. It came with a link to a newspaper article about a league cancelling games because it could not find enough officials. I later learned the text was from one of the National Alliance for Youth Sports’ (NAYS) original board members from the 1980s. He was concerned that the same problems that led him to seek out NAYS then were occurring again. Moments later, I received an email from a staff member with a link to the same article. In short, a long-time director of a Little League franchise, who had heard enough negativity and had two long-time umpires quit, turned to social media to vent. He made a rule that anyone in the stands who did not live up the league’s Code of Conduct would be required to umpire a minimum of three games before he or she would be allowed to sit in the stands again as a spectator. Of course, the parents would be supervised by the other trained umpires, but what a way to give them an appreciation for the on-the-field job!
Unacceptable spectator behavior at youth sporting events is an ongoing problem. And violent incidents occur with alarming regularity. Earlier this year, parents engaged in violent behavior with a basketball official in South Carolina—the game involved 12-year-old girls. And in Vermont, police were called when a basketball game involving seventh- and eighth-grade boys turned into a brawl among spectators in which a 60-year-old man was pronounced dead after being taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Most of the older people who officiate love the sport they are overseeing; it’s a way for them to give back to the community while remaining a part of a sport that meant so much to them growing up. They may not be able to play competitively anymore, but they still love to be part of the experience. So, let’s all do our part to make that experience the best and safest it can be for them. They certainly aren’t doing it for the money!
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.