Indianapolis — In December, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association voted to increase official pay to address a critical shortage of North Carolina athletic officials.
It’s not a local issue in North Carolina, though; it’s been a national trend for years.
The National High School Athletic Association held a news conference Tuesday to discuss the issue nationally, particularly with regard to the conduct of fans, coaches and players at games.
Last year, after the organization found that 50,000 officers across the country had left the industry, NFHS formed a coalition with stakeholders ranging from youth to the college level to help address the problem. On Tuesday, NFHS announced that it will host a second consortium next week.
NFHS CEO Dr. Karissa Niehoff said it’s important to point out that the umpire shortage isn’t just a high school problem — it extends to all levels of sport.
“It all started with youth sports,” Niehoff said, explaining that young officials often start in youth sports but are pushed out when they are treated poorly by their parents and coaches.
Barry Mano, president of the National Association of Sports Officials, called on sports organizations to “draw a line” and show that certain behaviors are not permissible.
According to the NFHS, the line has already been drawn. Some state associations have begun looking into the consequences of unruly fans, including possible 365-day bans for spectators who misbehave at games. A number of youth sports organizations have approached the NFHS about co-branding the new “Bench Bad Behavior” campaign the organization is launching. That could mean that parents and athletes will hear consistent behavioral messages from youth sports to high school sports.
We know that the conduct of fans, coaches and players is a major concern for officials. In fact, a survey conducted by NCHSAA last year showed that more than half of North Carolina officials considered resigning during the past two years, with misconduct being the top reason given. An overwhelming majority of officials say behavior today is worse than ever.
It’s a product of the sports system becoming less formative and more performance-oriented, Niehoff said.
Next week’s league will take some of the lessons from the first event and make recommendations for state associations, schools, media and safety to help improve the sporting climate.
