April/May 2020 - 46

work more games or with smaller crews. Rookie officials
typically wet their feet at the youth level, but the shortage
can accelerate their development to get more bodies to
the varsity stage. All of this comes with the threat of
abuse that exists at every game.
According to a 2017 survey from the National
Association of Sports Officials (NASO), 43% of referees
do it out of love for the sport. At the same time, 57%
believe sportsmanship is getting worse, and more than
one-third said sports parents are mostly to blame.
Bistrek agreed the landscape has changed since he
began umpiring baseball games more than two decades
ago. There was the typical jeering from fans, but nobody
feared they would ever see the type of assault Bistrek
faced in Dayton.
" I can see a huge difference, " he said. " Going in this,
I never thought I would have to worry about (being
attacked). I never thought anything would reach that
level, but it did. "
Youth movement
States, schools and associations have deployed various
initiatives to slow the decline and draw more interest
among young people. The NASO survey found that the
average age of a sports official is 53, and among the
prevailing concerns is that those retiring are strongly
outpacing new recruits.
Preble High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is among
a small number of schools that are addressing the issue
through curriculum. In the fall of 2019, Preble launched
a sports officiating class that's designed to teach
students rules, techniques and mechanics associated
with different sports. Daniel Retzki, associate principal
and director of athletics and activities, said roughly 15
students participated in the course's first semester.
Wisconsin's shortage hasn't reached the crisis stage,
but Retzki said he has been forced to get creative with
his schedule. For example, scheduling some basketball
games back-to-back allows him to use the same group
of referees for multiple contests. The approach helps,
but if referee numbers continue to decline, Retzki
worries about what type of drastic measures he'll be
forced to take.
" It would create a lot of difficulties, " he said. " We
have some good officials organizations in our area and
they've tried to keep their pool up, so we just have to be
supportive. ... We're just trying to keep the officials that
we have happy, and hope that we can infuse some more
so the pool starts to go up. "
Getting teenagers interested in officiating is difficult,
but it's not impossible. Last fall, Patricia McCracken
became the youngest referee to work a Colorado high
school state championship soccer match at 17 years old.
She became certified at the age of 12 after spending
years watching her grandfather, dad, sister and brother
officiate soccer games.
" I signed up for the referee class the day after my (12th)
birthday, " she recalls. " I just loved it. Especially since I
44 APRIL/MAY 2020
don't play anymore, it's a great way for me to stay involved
with the game. "
McCracken's school, Denver School of the Arts,
didn't offer sports, so officiating kept her engaged with
soccer. She worked up to a dozen matches each week -
mostly club and adult amateur matches - before finally
landing high school assignments last year. She admits
the grueling schedule was difficult to balance with her
coursework, but she didn't let that discourage her.
" Rookie officials typically wet their feet at the
youth level, but the shortage can accelerate
their development to get more bodies to the
varsity stage. "
The biggest test was facing the abuse, which is among
the primary reasons that referees quit the job. McCracken
said she experiences a lot of verbal harassment and even
recalls moments where she worried the altercation might
turn physical. The 11- and 12-year-old leagues were
especially challenging, she said, as parents are being
introduced to referee involvement in their child's games.
During a 12U game, McCracken said a dad came onto
the field and threatened her. She submitted a complaint
to the league, and the dad was handed a three-month
suspension from games.
" I had a game pretty recently where I received some
sexist comments, and right after the game I thought,
'Why the hell am I doing this?' " she said. " But other
times, when I'm doing high-level dream games, it
just feels so right that this is what I want to do. But
sometimes, the verbal assaults can get in the way of
pursuing it. "
States stepping up
State associations have ramped up their efforts to
retain and recruit officials, including pay raises and
public recognition of service. But few, if any, have
significantly moved the needle in overall numbers.
Bruce Maurer, the director of football officials
development for the Ohio High School Athletic
Association, speaks to nearly 3,200 state football referees
each year at clinics and meetings. He said there were
around 3,500 officials when he stepped into his role 10
years ago. The decline means many officials are now
working more games than they used to.
" There's not quite the supply that there was before, "
Maurer said. " The other part you hear is that when the
economy is good, there aren't as many people who want
to officiate. "
Maurer said during the recession, his assigner had a
list of 20 people who lost their jobs and would get a call
when assignments came up. With a strong economy,
fewer people are in need of the extra income.
April/May 2020

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