Will there be enough officials when sports return?

The answer is … maybe.

Before the coronavirus crisis there was a shortage of officials — umpires and the like — as The Aspen Institute reported.

Back in 1976, umpires were 20 years old, on average. By 2016, the average age had more than doubled to 42 years old. There are more officials over 60 than under 30 and, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, 80 percent of youth sports officials quit before their third year.

That means youth sports officials are the same age group as high-risk coronavirus patients, according to Barry Mano, founder and president of the National Association of Sports Officials.

“There are a lot of people who officiate in that older category who could have underlying conditions that can be dangerous,” he said.

According to Mano, officials at risk of COVID-19 will attempt to social distance on the field, if they can, much in the same way you might in a grocery store.

“You’re just going to minimize those excursions,” he told The Aspen Institute. “That’s all you can do. Like when you go in a store now with a mask, you find yourself purposefully taking a couple steps away when you see someone coming. The referees would do the same thing. It’s fraught with potential danger.”

Man said the coronavirus situation creates a good news/bad news type of situation.

On the one hand, economic downturns usually result in more coaches and officials.

“We would expect an uptick in officials, but you can’t say it blindly because of the COVID overlay,” he said.

But then there is increased disease risk and scheduling issues.

“Once the reins are loosened, instead of one game a day, organizers are going to try to play three or four games a day to catch up on seasons,” Mano said. “There are companies and individuals that make their living assigning sports officials. Well over a billion dollars of game fees are gone since March. Organizations are going to need these assigners to find warm bodies. In college football, they’re talking about assigning people regionally to cut down on air travel.

“I think there’s going to be a great economic opportunity for people willing to officiate,” he said. “But at the end of the day, there’s going to be a real shortage and scheduling snafus. It’s going to be jammed like the freeways in Los Angeles at 6 o’clock at night.”