Referee, Coaching Shortages at Heart of Sports’ Problems
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
We had hoped to start this version of Direct Rays with the goodness on our local diamonds and lax greens where our student athletes are showboating their talents up and down the Section 1 corridor.
But we need to start at MAHOPAC where visiting YORKTOWN and the host Indians had to delay the start of their 2 p.m. Saturday baseball game by about 70 minutes because the scheduled home plate umpire was in extra innings at SOMERS where the Tuskers defeated FOX LANE, 3-2, in 11 action-packed frames.
All good at Somers, right? But a major predicament at Mahopac. The plate umpire at the Somers game, which began at 11 a.m., shouldn’t have been scheduled for a 2 p.m. game at Mahopac. But that’s where we’re at with the nationwide dearth of qualified umpires/officials for all sports.
Folks at Mahopac had to wait well over an hour because the one umpire who showed on time couldn’t do the plate, and the other guy couldn’t leave in the middle of his game, which shouldn’t/wouldn’t be an issue if we had more men and women willing to deal with the bullspit that comes with officiating high school sports, which are at a crossroads as we speak, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Who can blame anyone these days for their unwillingness to umpire a baseball or softball game or officiate a basketball or football game with the degenerating behavior of snarly spectators #YouKnowWhoYouAre.
There are so many factors that local athletic directors are dealing with in an effort to keep high school athletics as the last bastion of wholesome sports; no betting, no AAU sneaker deals, no under-the-table influence, et al.
Club sports are becoming more and more prevalent and have become – in many cases – the top priority for student athletes and preps. Clubs do what they want, when they want. High school sports have restrictions and still try to hold some form of accountability.
The shortage of referees is tantamount. These days, officials are being escorted out of gymnasiums and off fields under direct threats from abusive parents and disrespectful student bodies, oftentimes by understaffed security units. We’ve all witnessed it and many are part of the problem, which continues to backslide into a bottomless abyss.
As a direct correlation, there’s a massive coaching shortage out there. Coaches are getting younger and younger as they sign on to jobs as educators with the mandatory edict to coach and develop sports programs because veteran educators, in many cases, are unwilling to put their job and their neck on the line in the event li’l Johnny’s dad has it out for the coach. Teachers are risking tenure, careers and so much more should they get on the wrong side of a school board. In many cases, coaching has become a thankless job.
Transportation issues are another threat to high school sports. New York State keeps adding programs like boys’ volleyball and flag football, which can’t be run the right way with a tableful of prior issues. Districts won’t say no to more programs in an effort to keep up with the Joneses.
The challenges are overwhelming for athletic directors, and there could come a time when districts go full circle and decide freshmen, JV and varsity sports aren’t worth the headache anymore, despite it being the best thing schools have going for them in terms of overall morale.
I hate to be a Debbie Downer but imagine a world without high school sports. We could be headed there if we don’t change our tunes, beginning with our treatment of referees and umpires, which jeopardizes the future of high school athletics.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
