A Reminder Is Needed

During the summer months when there's less hockey to be watched and played, I spend most of my time on ball diamonds as an umpire. I've done a few orthodox softball games, but I mainly stick to slo-pitch because it's fun, everyone knows there's no World Series being played, and it's usually teams made up of friends or colleagues. In other words, the competition level is lower than some of the competitive fastpitch being played where players are aiming for scholarships and championships that could include berths to regional and national tournaments. It can get intense to say the least.

I bring this up because there seems to be a of officials across a number of sports seen this year as everything returns to normal following the pandemic. Hockey is no stranger to this phenomenon as places like New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Saskatoon, Ontario, and Quebec, prompting hockey leagues in Ontario to send three-person officiating crews to games as opposed to four-person crews.

It extends to other sports as well, though, as soccer, softball and baseball, and other youth sports have all seen a drop-off in officials available for games. Working last night at a softball complex, I heard a few chirps from parents watching a fastpitch game on the next diamond over about calls being made by the officials, and I often wonder what they hope to accomplish with these actions.

The two umpires I could see were both older gentlemen who seemed to have a good grasp on the game as far as I could tell, but I wasn't involved in the nuances of the game to determine whether the call that had been made was right or wrong. Even if I was involved, it's not my place to say whether they were right or wrong. And while none of the comments made were particularly aggressive other than expressing disagreement with the call verbally, I'd hope that they never escalate.

In saying that all that and knowing that the number of younger officials has dropped dramatically in recent years, it might be time for a reminder that officials are people too. Especially in amateur sports, there aren't video replays, the officials can't see every angle, and they will make a mistake or two being that they're human. Let's keep things in perspective when it comes to youth sports: everyone is working to make the game better, so why make it worse with the negative and hurtful comments?

Here's a great video from Officially Human that really makes the point clear about how ridiculous some "fans" sound.

Sports are supposed to be fun. Not everything requires a life-or-death approach, no team has never suffered a loss, and everyone makes mistakes. If you want to make an impact on the game in a big way, become an official. Whether you played yesterday or two decades ago, the game is just as fun when you're making calls rather than making plays. Yes, there's some responsibility to know the game and the rules for the sport you're officiating, but that's why they pay officials in the amateur sports world.

Have fun this summer, folks. After two years of not being able to play, let's lose the negativity, have a ton of fun, and make this a summer to remember for all the right reasons regardless of wins and losses. No one will remember a .500 season when they're ten year-old, but they will remember the laughs, the smiles, the friendships and relationships, and the impact that supportive fans can have on both players and officials.

This is a quick reminder: sports are supposed to be fun. So let's have a summer of fun like no other!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!