The infamous referee stands at center field. Players argue with them, coaches get annoyed by them, fans and parents hate them. However, they are essential to every sport and without them, athletes would not be able to compete. I believe they don’t deserve the mistreatment they receive.
The nation currently has a shortage of officials. The New York Times reported that from 2018-2021, an estimated 50,000 referees or officials quit jobs due to either the coronavirus shutdown or from aggressive threats from spectators. This large exodus of 50,000 referees was about 20% the amount present in 2018.
COVID-19 swept through the nation, shutting many businesses down and putting a halt to many athletic competitions around the country. This caused people to leave their jobs as either they felt it was not safe, or they were not needed in that position, one of those jobs being referees.
While COVID-19 may have been one cause, I believe that the main reason is actually from the way they are treated. During my job at the Worldwide Wolverine YMCA as a youth sports official, I have seen many referees quit their job for that reason.
I am a referee for youth basketball and soccer and am responsible for officiating first through fourth grade, both girls and boys. Even when I officiate those games, there are still angry parents and coaches that will yell at me. I’ve been told to “never ref a game again” or “grow up and get a new job” because somehow everything that happens in a game is my fault.
If that is how I am treated during a first and second grade basketball game, I could imagine how the referees are treated during high school and college basketball, football or baseball games, where the stakes are higher and fans more intense.
Adam Forbes is a former basketball, volleyball and softball referee and currently officiates swimming, track and field and cross country at the high school. He has experienced and seen this exact behavior from parents and coaches.
“I think [officials] can be mistreated,” Forbes said. “There have been threats physically. Sometimes the crowds will get a little emotional and voice displeasure and say things that are demeaning.”
The mistreatment of referees may be an impulsive behavior. People will blame the officials for certain calls, because there is no one else they think is to blame. I even find myself impulsively screaming at referees when they make a call against my team at the varsity football and basketball games, even though the call may be fair.
“[Referees] are gonna miss things,” Forbes said. “Officials are there to make sure that it is a fair game. [Our school] does a great job of encouraging a type of attitude towards officials, and I think if more schools were to push that, I think that appreciation and understanding would continue to grow.”
While I agree with that, I still think our high school can grow in this regard. At many of the boys varsity basketball games this year, the crowds went wild when the referees made a call that was slightly unfair. Fans get emotional, but is it really worth it to demean the referees, because they made a call against your team?
Athletic director Pat Marsman has experienced the first hand feeling of being yelled at by a crowd, something that many referees are forced to deal with.
“I was an umpire once for a church softball game,” Marsman said. “I got yelled at, and I never wanted to do it again. I was a freshman in high school, and even though I [made] the call, that one time getting chewed up was enough for me.”
Marsman makes it a point to inform spectators that respect is the most important thing they can show in a game.
“At the beginning of every game, conference or meet, we give a shout-out to the officials,” Marsman said. “Without officials, our kids don’t get to play. So, we always try to put that message into our fans, ‘Hey, these are human beings. If we don’t have them, your kids don’t get to play.’”
Treating officials with respect is the only way to eradicate the toxic behavior at high school games. If we as a student body focus on respect, we can create a lot more accepting environment.
“[Officials are] there to do the best job they can do, just like I come here to do the best job I can do,” Marsman said. “At times, I’m gonna make mistakes. That’s just life. Just like how I expect you to treat me with respect, that’s how we should treat our referees. That’s how the world should work.”
