May 7, 2001
- Sports Officials Becoming Endangered Species
(RACINE, Wis.) — Ninety percent of state level high school sports leaders who responded to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) said there is a shortage of officials in their state.
NASO surveyed all 60 of the high school governing bodies in charge of administering high school sports in the United States during the month of January and the survey results produced "concern about the shortage of officials," said NASO President Barry Mano.
"High school sports faces a critical shortage of qualified and competent officials due to several factors," said Mano. "We’ve got to do a better job of recruiting officials and then keeping them involved."
Respondents identified the decline in sportsmanship by parents, coaches and players as the single biggest reason officials quit. Seventy-six percent listed poor sportsmanship by spectators among the reasons for losing officials. Sixty-eight percent cited poor sportsmanship by coaches and players as a factor. Sixty-five percent also noted "family issues" and "career demands" as factors.
"Being a sports official requires a unique personality that can handle a variety of situations including immense criticism," said Mano. "Too often we are also seeing criticism of officials spilling over into becoming physical aggression and violence."
NASO receives two to three calls a week reporting physical threats or acts of violence against sports officials.
The survey’s purpose was to identify concerns that state associations have with recruiting and retaining sports officials.
Seventy-one percent said that getting recruits is a bigger challenge than retaining them.
Recently, some states have cancelled contests due to a shortage of officials. Ten percent of those surveyed said the cancellation or rescheduling of games must be "commonly" done and 58 percent said they "occasionally" must reschedule or cancel games due to officials availability.
Eighty percent of the states also noted an increase in the number of games played in the past 10 years. This is due in part to the increase in girls programs and the expansion of certified sporting events.
The sports in greatest need of officials? Eighty-six percent said soccer. Field hockey was second at 81 percent followed by baseball at 79 percent, wrestling at 76 percent, volleyball at 75 percent and gymnastics at 73 percent.
High school officials receive $35 to $65 a game for most sports at the varsity level and often need flexible work schedules in order to work mid-afternoon contests.
"The men, women, boys and girls who officiate do so for many personal reasons and money is not at the top of the list," adds Mano. "However, officials need to be compensated fairly. They all invest personal funds to purchase their equipment, get training and more."
The concern to get and keep officials has NASO focusing its next national conference on the issue. Beginning June 16 in Norfolk, Va., the nearly 18,500-member organization will convene its "Successful Officiating 2001 Conference." Officiating leaders from all levels of sport will be among the attendees discussing current successful recruitment programs as well as plans to meet the future challenges.
For more about the NASO survey and a complete tally of results, visit the NASO website at www.naso.org/survey.
262-632-5448 • 262-632-5460(Fax) • www.naso.org
