Youth sports suffer from hostility toward officials
I, along with so many other people, love playing sports. Throughout my childhood, playing youth sports was the one constant. I learned teamwork and leadership skills that have shaped me into the person I am today.
But there’s a danger facing all youth sports right now that, if not rectified soon, could lead to its death as we know it: the shortage of youth sports officials due to abuse from parents, players and coaches.
I have seen more abuse instances than I can count, as I’m in my 10th season as a USA Hockey official. I’ve had water bottles thrown at me, people following me to the parking lot and even people threatening my family.
While the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois and USA Hockey have implemented zero tolerance policies, it has not done enough to curb the abuse we officials face.
Just as a bystander watching age 10-and-under games, I’ve seen parents, with a beer in hand, going ballistic at officials who are just 14 to 16 years old. Coaches also throw tantrums, directing their anger at these young kids. Then, there are the players. I’ve had 12-year-old kids telling me I “f------ suck.” The respect for authority has completely disappeared.
These issues are destroying the retention numbers of youth sports officials, leaving fewer and fewer people sticking around long enough to reach the higher levels. This pushes the inexperienced officials to games they are unqualified for, and leaves the lower-level games without officials.
With unqualified officials on higher-level games, the risk of dangerous plays going uncalled increases, alongside the risk of harm to the players. Then the lower-level games just don’t get played, and our kids can’t play the sports they love. And too many instances of officials quitting on the spot or not returning for a second season is killing youth sports as we know it.
I want the next generation of athletes to make lifelong friends, build essential life skills and physical wellness like I did. If we continue on this path of abusing
officials, youth sports as we know it will die.
Alex Crowe, Aurora