Referees are fleeing youth sports because of anger on the sidelines—here’s a proposal to quiet the bad apples
By Jason Gay | The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post recently published an alarming story detailing the shortages of referees for youth sports in the D.C. region. Sports like baseball, soccer and football have all been impacted. The head of a Mid-Atlantic officials association said the baseball umpire shortage was the worst in 25 years. In football, the referee pool dropped a grim 40%.
Officiating youth sports isn’t a glamour job, to say the least. The pay isn’t life-changing, travel can be a pain, and it’s often weekend and evening work. On top of that, you have to watch a lot of terrible youth sports.
But numerous sources gave the Post a different reason for the current referee shortage:
Parents.
