One issue of contention that I regularly hear at my office are concerns relating to sports officiating — especially at the youth and interscholastic sport levels. This is an important topic worthy of discussion, as officials play a very important role in game-play, sportsmanship, and safety relating to all competitors. In fact, sports officials at all levels are in great demand these days, largely because the job can be thankless (a good official is not out to make friends!), or constantly feels in danger based on remarks — and sometimes direct threats — from sports fans. This raises the question: What minimum standards should we set for sports officials, and what basic expectations should parents have regarding those standards?
The reality
The first thing to remember about sports officials is that they are human, and they will absolutely miss calls from time-to-time (especially at the youth and interscholastic levels). Even with pro sports we see referees blow calls, especially in this day and age of instant replay where the misses become even more magnified. The point is that even the best, most well-trained sports officials don’t always get it right.
A big part of the reason why calls are missed on the field has to do with how fast sports have become — even at the youth level. Plays happen quickly, and sports officials are regularly challenged to keep their focus and attention on multiple things at the same time. When you enter in emotions, fatigue, and various other distractions (i.e. crowd noise), it becomes rather easy to see how officials can sometimes miss things.
Now that we have provided more depth and breadth to the challenges of being a sports official, we can turn our attention to basic expectations you should have for the officials working your kid’s games.
What you should expect from sports officials
Sports officials, from youth sports to the pros, are trained to the level of sport they officiate. When it comes to early youth officiating, the main goal is safety and keeping things moving so that kids can enjoy participating in the sport. On the other hand, professional officials are required to go through extensive, ongoing training to meet the demands of working at the highest levels in sports (i.e. MLB umpire school). In between those two polar ends of the spectrum you can, at minimum, expect the following:
- Knowledge of the rules. Officials at all levels of sports should have a basic understanding of the rules pertaining to the sport(s) they officiate. It is important to note that there is a difference between a bad call and a wrong call — as was mentioned previous, officials will make bad calls from time-to-time, but when they make wrong calls it is a reflection of not knowing the rule (something officials can be held accountable for when working games). Officials should also be accountable for staying on top of any cheating that might be occurring.
- Hustle. It is a reasonable to expect officials to keep up with the action and work hard to get in position to make appropriate calls on the field. Remember, they won’t always be in the perfect spot to make the call, but they should always be working toward being where they need to be during game play.
- Respect. Officials should always model sportsmanship and show respect to all players, coaches, fans, and the game itself. Respecting the game includes hustling, refraining from vulgar language, tempering hostile attitudes on the field, and addressing developing situations before they get out of hand.
- Safety. Officials are expected to pay close attention to safety factors relating to the game, including field conditions, expected storms that could impact safety, equipment, and any other factors that could leave kids in harms way.
Final thoughts
The reality is that youth sport officials are often held to high standards, and in some cases unreasonable standards. Remember, the officials working youth sports will miss calls from time-to-time, just like professional officials do. On the other hand, it’s not at all unreasonable for you to expect that officials have an understanding of the rules, hustle to get in the right spots to make calls, respect all competitors, and do what they can to ensure safety at all times. Try to be understanding and supportive whenever possible, and remember being a sports ref is never an easy job at any level of sports.
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