Umpire shortage

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natihsfan

Member
Anyone else experiencing issues getting umpires? I know games (mainly JV) that have been cancelled due to lack of an umpire, varsity only having one umpire for a game, and makeup games having issues being rescheduled due to an umpire shortage.

What's causing the shortage? How do we fix it?
 
 
Auggie said:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sp...ends-lebanons-state-final-run-loss/366885001/

"The umpire crew was escorted out by police."
Click to expand...

Out of control fans / parents...You would be amazed on the stuff that is allowed to go on in public HS...That behavior spills out into the sports arena boys or girls...Coaches are not much better. Most cannot control their team or themselves. Granted at the Varsity level you want and need the best of the best but they are coming hard to find since a lot of the experienced umpires are calling it quits.
 
natihsfan said:
Anyone else experiencing issues getting umpires? I know games (mainly JV) that have been cancelled due to lack of an umpire, varsity only having one umpire for a game, and makeup games having issues being rescheduled due to an umpire shortage.

What's causing the shortage? How do we fix it?
Click to expand...

I do not umpire Softball, I do however Referee Basketball. We are having similar issues, while not as bad as Softball numbers of Officials are down everywhere.

1. Coaches and Parents (especially lower level): It's a game for kids, we all make mistakes. Stop acting like clowns!

2. Pay could see a little increase

3. Find a way to make Officiating appeal to the millennials, which is the hardest of them all!
 
DaPope said:
I do not umpire Softball, I do however Referee Basketball. We are having similar issues, while not as bad as Softball numbers of Officials are down everywhere.

1. Coaches and Parents (especially lower level): It's a game for kids, we all make mistakes. Stop acting like clowns!

2. Pay could see a little increase

3. Find a way to make Officiating appeal to the millennials, which is the hardest of them all!
Click to expand...

Talked to an ump yesterday at a varsity game and asked why he does it. Like many he had a daughter that played so he got hooked, likes diamond sports, gets him out of the house, and wanted to stay connected to the sport somehow. Pay was never mentioned. What he did mention was he likes school or rec based games as opposed to travel ball because of the $s involved with that part of sport.

As for getting younger umps, the girls on my daughter's team actually wished there were more women umps. Maybe they can relate a little better to the make up of young ladies than these curmudgeons. So far this season, 5 games and 10 male umps all that look over 60.
 
How much does the start time of the games play into it?

4:30 start times (and earlier) makes it difficult for younger people that have full time jobs to be available to make the commitment. This potentially is an issues with other sports as well because younger people have to start out at the lower middle school levels as referees/officials, and their start times are usually earlier as well.

I don't have numbers in front of me, but I would suspect that a good portion of umpires are older, potentially retired (or secure enough in their jobs to say - I'm leaving at 3:00, kiss my aaa if you don't like it), and umpiring for something to do/extra money.

Unfortunately, I don't have a solution to this - just an observation.
 
I quit umping. It got to the point all coaches or parents wanted to do was argue. It was fun for a while, but throwing people out gets exhausting.
 
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