The item popped up on Twitter, as things tend to do these days.
A lacrosse game took place at Baldwinsville during the school break. What happened in the game wasn’t the story, as it ought to be with high school sports.
No, it was afterward that, according to athletic director Chris Campolieta, two game officials “were confronted by an adult who verbally assaulted them”.
Apparently, it wasn’t enough to sit in the stands and yell from a distance at every single call that didn’t go a team’s way. It had to continue, face-to-face, in the kind of manner which bullies would appreciate.
When detailing this incident, Campolieta made a very clear point, relating one incident to a far larger issue that threatens the very viability of high school sports, short-term and long-term.
“If we as the adults/role models cannot respectfully hold each other accountable to act civilized toward (officials) and understand that these are human beings trying to give our student-athletes an authentic experience, I’m afraid that we may not have enough of them to continue officiating.”
For years now, at the local, state and (likely) national level, the lack of officials in all sports, at all levels, has slowly mushroomed into a full-blown crisis, which is not surprising if you spend any time at these events.
Little League, Pop Warner, club soccer, travel hockey, youth basketball leagues – name the team sport, chances are there’s always a couple of parents turning up the volume to let everyone know that every single call or non-call is a disgrace or a scandal or an affront to their way of life.
At times, high school games are different, and a bit more civil. Yet even if they’re constantly reminded at the start of each game to show the proper levels of sportsmanship and respect, soon enough decorum goes out the window and the conspiracies start anew.
Little wonder, then, that varsity football schedules have to be altered in order to have enough officials each night. Worse yet, there’s very few young faces among officials regardless of the sport, because the abuse to which they are subjected cancels out the experience and the enjoyment of it all.
I get it – we were in pandemic hibernation for a while, but now a year has passed since bringing back full crowds for high school sports events, so the excuse of pent-up COVID-19 energy should be gone.
And it’s tempting, for sure, to tie the behavior of a few zealous parents to the larger hostile political environment and its rewarding bad, extreme behavior at the expense of class and dignity. But this issue is damaging enough without adding that layer of complication.
What to do, then?
Perhaps the best approach is to encourage students to consider officiating while they’re still in high school, before the demands and burdens of adulthood make it more difficult. If nothing else, frame it as a way for athletes to stay connected to the sports they love when their playing days are over.
Even getting a few more young men and women interested in officiating might alleviate the shortages we see in some places and the aging officiating pool in other places. At the very least, it’s worth a try.
More important in the short term, though, is what that message from Campolieta said at the conclusion in terms of how we should treat officials in general.
“Give them a break. Rather than ripping them apart, try thanking them. Thank them for giving your kids a chance to compete and to have fun. We can all do better.”
Will they always get the calls right? Of course not. They’re human, just like us. But they are willing to endure all the slings and arrows in service of something more important than themselves.
Funny, we teach our kids (or at least I hope we do) these very same values and virtues to put the needs of others ahead of their own. Then, at the games, a few of us want everything done our way, or else.
You want accountability? You want to make sure that the games go on at a high level with high-quality officiating? Maybe, instead of pointing fingers, look in the mirror and do better.
That’s the right call. Every time.
