By
Dr. Lynn M. Jamieson, Professor Emerita
Indiana University
In an earlier blog post, the role of officials was discussed and included the issue of attrition, pressure, and problems occurring when officials are involved in clashes with players, fans, and others. In this post, I am sharing levels of abuse that have resulted in injury to officials during and after sport contests. The focus is mainly on documented incidents where officials have been involved in altercations causing physical injury, and not on the less visible psychological pressures they undergo in the process of trying to officiate fairly and equitably.
In Orr & Jamieson (2020, p. 13), the following incidents were shown in a table that noted key sport violence issues where officials had been injured by players, fans or other members of the sport environment as follows:
(Georgia) Enraged mother leaps from stands and chokes teenage umpire over call.
(Delaware) Argument between coaches and referee in 11-12 game ends in hospital.
(Pennsylvania) 10-year-old baseball player slugs umpire who made a call against him.
(Florida) Coach breaks jaw of umpire after disputing call.
(Texas) Umpire ejects female player for cursing in coed church team after prayer.
(Texas) Former Texas Ranger puts referee in chokehold following dispute.
(Pennsylvania) Policeman gives ticket to referee who threw him out of game.
(North Carolina) A mother charges the field and slaps referee, gets arrested.
(Wisconsin) Little League umpire assaulted after balk call, receives four stitches.
(New Jersey) Recreational league hockey player throws skate t referee, injuring him.
(California) Recreational league basketball official needs 21 stitches to repair cut.
(Georgia) Youth basketball game of 7–8-year-olds, referee slashes coach with knife.
(New Mexico) Player smashes aluminum bat into umpire’s face.
(Pennsylvania)Father of 11-year-old wrestler sentenced 1 year for punching referee.
(Georgia) Father and son confront referee after wrestling match, then punch those who try to break it up.
Several observations can be made when viewing this small list of abuses that occur between officials and others. First, the incidents are not confined to a certain area but are distributed throughout the country. It appears that many incidents occur regardless of where the game is played, and this makes solutions difficult to address since many cities are involved. Second, many of the reported incidents occur in youth or recreational leagues, and this suggests that something is happening that is not being managed properly. Finally, the incidents are caused by family members or players becoming irate after a call they did not only dislike, but they also became enraged enough to produce bodily harm. Lastly, there was only one incident that involved an official lashing out at others.
Injuries to officials caused by irate players and fans were also documented by Grieb (2015) who noted a particular incident in a high school football game where a player tackled an official and a teammate speared him with his helmet. This and other incidents have wound up with assault charges made against the perpetrators. The fact that they have continued is problematic, even though many states have addressed laws addressing the problem and noting consequences to the perpetrator if such attacks are reported. There are state laws in many states, and, as noted in a 2002 report by the National Association of Sport Officials, 18 states had enacted laws against this abuse with many other states in the process of enacting legislation to prevent this problem. Regardless of state law, abuse of officials continues to occur, and this issue is a contributing factor to the declining numbers of qualified officials
What can sport administrators do to mitigate abuse of officials? While laws may not fully solve this problem, it is suggested that more stringent management practices be implemented that make it more difficult for officials to be assaulted. Here are a few suggestions that make sense and can be easily implemented:
Early detection and ejection of unruly fans.
Development of well publicized codes of conduct.
Strict enforcement of codes of conduct.
Better ways to address player frustration and anger through training and coaching.
Increased presence and action of security personnel.
Develop policies in support of state laws to better educate people on the consequences of their actions in intimidating and abusing officials.
Those who officiate games and contests already experience much pressure while becoming knowledgeable and proficient at their skill. It takes time, money, and practice to become a good official. Most often, officials get their first jobs with youth and recreational leagues as they progress toward higher levels of competition. To be injured in a league that should predominantly be for learning and fun causes many people to quit. It is the responsibility of those managing sports to address this issue with more care and effective policies and procedures.
References
Grieb, C. (2015). High school referee attack among many frightening, sometimes fatal, incidents targeting officials. Sporting News, vol 09/08/15.
Orr, T. J. & Jamieson, L. M. (2020). Sport and violence: A critical examination of sport. Champaign, IL: Sagamore-Venture.
Still, B. (2002) Officials under Assault: Update 2002. Referee Magazine. Racine, WI: The National Association of Sport Officials.