Imagine it’s a high school football game under the Friday Night Lights. It’s a close game, and the fans are roaring from the bleachers, waiting nervously for the next play. The quarterback yells “hike,” and the players are off. The ball is thrown, and the commotion in the bleachers quiet down, waiting desperately. The ball is caught, but the referee calls it an incomplete pass. Now, what is the first emotion that goes through your head? You may feel a rush of anger go through you. That may be a reason why there is a lack of referees in the game today. 

At first glance, it may be confusing as to why there is a shortage of refs and umps in sports. According to the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS), there has been a decrease of roughly 50,000 referees and umpires across the nation since the 2018-2019 season. When asked about this, LHS athletic director Mr. Eldredge stated, “People have a lot of options for jobs today” going on to explain that fast food jobs are currently paying well, giving more job opportunities for teens.

Lack of referees has already created obstacles for high school games this season. The varsity football game this week at North Point had to be rescheduled from Friday to Thursday due to a lack of referees. 

At the Liberty softball game last Friday, a softball umpire, Rory (didn’t want to specify last name) said that it’s challenging to keep pace with all of the games scheduled. 

“There are so many schools now with three levels every day,” he said. He also stated, “Some of (the umpires) retire, and new kids come in and don’t have enough time to learn the skill of umpiring.”

Another problem brought up is the abuse that referees get on the field.

“When officials are mistreated, it makes it easy for them to look for something else to do,” Eldredge stated when asked about the matter. When asked about the problem, the softball umpire expressed, “When parents, coaches and players don’t agree with a call, they think they have a right to yell, scream and berate the officials and it has gone too far.”

According to “The New York Times”, in 2022, referees have reported being followed to their cars, attacked by players on the field, and knocked to the ice during a hockey game in February. 

Today, schools are still in need of people to officiate games and there is a good reason to consider being an official.

“We have increased the pay for officials, and there have been active recruiting services put on by Missouri State,” Mr. Eldredge said. In a survey by the NFHS, it states that in the 2021-2022 season, 28 of 36 participating state associations reported an increase in the number of officials. This is just a start to stop the referee and umpire shortages. So, the next time you’re in the stands, think twice before yelling at the officials.