Parents are the worst offenders

I read with great interest the article in the Dec. 11 column by Cliff Gillies entitled “Why Do Officials Quit?” I am a sports official and a Washington Officials Association member. I umpire high school baseball and am also umpire-in-chief for the Sky Valley Little League. I concur with Mr. Gillies’ points, which have also recently been the focus of articles in Referee Magazine.

While I have had problems with players, coaches and spectators at all levels of play, I have found the spectators (parents) to be the most problematic. Most players (there are exceptions) are courteous, calling me “sir” and saying “please” when making a request. Most coaches (again, there are exceptions) are professional and treat officials with respect. The biggest offenders are parents.

At a recent Big League tournament in Woodinville (high school age division of Little League) at which I was the plate umpire, the fans had to be warned twice about heckling the officials. We had to threaten to pull the teams off the field and award a forfeit to the opposing team before the fans would let up!

There is nothing wrong with rooting for your kids and, certainly, some ribbing of umpires is woven into the fabric of baseball. But constant complaining and the use of profanity is not acceptable and is not any kind of example for our kids.

High school umpires make between $25 to $50 a game, about enough over the course of the season to pay for equipment. Little League umpires are volunteers who, at most, get a hot dog or a hamburger for their efforts. I, and most of my colleagues, do it for the love of the game. I suggest, as I have suggested to many a complaining parent, that if they don’t like the decisions officials make, they should volunteer to do it themselves!

Monroe

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