Yikes!
And umpires think they have it bad. A grocery store manager makes more than an umpire and has to put up with dodging frozen peas!
Quitting already?
- Thread starter RedeemerKing
- Start date
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And umpires think they have it bad. A grocery store manager makes more than an umpire and has to put up with dodging frozen peas!
- May 10, 2021
- 149
- 43
I understand and you make a valid point about getting thicker skin........I used the term deescalate because it is used at umpire camps. Experience will thicken all skin. Experienced umpires won't talk or engage at all and I did not.
However, you cant brush it off and forget about it when the confrontation extends outside the diamond fences or the guy is calling me a terrible MF when my 10 and 7 year old son are watching me umpire in the same bleachers.
The thickness of my skin or any umpires skin has no bearing on the initial rude and offensive behavior of others. Ignore them until they assault you I guess.
Anyway my point is every 1st year umpire we had for MS did not come back this year and the main reason is the behavior of everyone but specifically parents and coaches.
And that's why I only like doing high school games because everything is alot more controlled and the behavior isn't tolerated. You have administrators at the game to help you deal with the fans and to kick out real problem people.
This is long, but you asked…
I don’t know all the back story, but, in the end, it mostly comes down to playing time. Head Coach took 16 girls for Varsity, including 5 Seniors. The two Seniors that quit were starting players last year in a somewhat truncated 2021 season (season started about a month late due to COVID). This season both those Seniors were displaced by two Freshman. The two Seniors in question have not played travel for at least two years. The Freshmen, who play on regional-level travel teams, were defensive upgrades and at least one of them was also an offensive upgrade. The two Seniors also seemed to come into the HS season physically banged up. So, early on, they seemed to be rolling with it.
As the season wore on (we have 1 regular season game left now) and it was more and more obvious that the opportunities would be few and far between, pressure began building. They did get some pinch hitting opportunities, but very little field time. The one that quit after the National Anthem apparently had her own convo with the head coach about her role not long before. When she saw the starting line up for that night (apparently judging that her talk had had no impact), she walked. In her mind, she didn’t think she was really getting a chance to compete for playing time and that the coach’s mind was fixed. There may be some truth to this.
I think the trigger for the other Senior last night was that the game was a make up for our rained out Senior Night. She did start in the field and got one AB (a K). When the pitcher was pulled in the 3rd or 4th inning, she replaced the Senior defensively. It was not long after that that someone noticed the Senior walking away from the field.
Beyond playing time, I think the second Senior felt that the coaches do not communicate effectively (think there is some truth to this) or appropriately (that is, they are “mean”; not sure there is any truth to this) and that the Head Coach had obvious favorites that are treated differently (probably some truth to this too). Anyway, it was a mess, and I am sure there is more to it than what I know or have heard. I do think that the coaches do not communicate enough with the girls about their roles, where they see them, what they need to see from them, etc. The communication mostly comes through the line up card and the rest is left up to the girls to figure out.
What some of the girls have found curious is that the Head Coach has never addressed the fact of either girl quitting with the team. Was as if the players (who to that point had been in the program 4 years) had never existed, at least one of the two was well liked. Definitely has cast a shadow over the end of the season.
When multiple kids quit the same team, it's time to look for the bigger problem. Might not be the girls leaving that are the problem.
I've seen girls finally stand up to a jerk-wad coach and it's refreshing. Sad it comes to that, but glad there are young women who know how to stand up for themselves. Coaches using them to re-live their youth, win plastic trophies or boast amongst coaches is sad, pathetic stuff.
radness
Possibilities & Opportunities!
- Dec 13, 2019
- 7,270
- 113
Something can share to that is some teenagers/people think there is power when stories like that get to social media.
Not saying that is the reason to the result of quitting. except do think it is adding to this happenstance now of players leaving mid-game. it makes it a statement in their mind, instead of just making a situation worse before it ends.
Quitting mid-game may want people to think it is the coaches fault. But it is also a reflection of the players.
Must be a thing. I watched 2 or 3 seniors last year on our high school team quit, as soon as they found out they would not be starting varsity. They would of played on the B team but you have to wonder if they like the game to begin with.
What training? You can't retrain if you are not going to provide even initial training for umpires. You want better umpires? Then someone needs to actually invest in better umpires.
I don't disagree about having really, really thick skin as an official and honestly that helps a lot. I have very few issues as an official - but that has come through YEARS of experience. But most officials don't have that - and no one is helping in ANY WAY.
You also keep talking about this as a job and making irrelevant comparisons to retail; there are very few officials who make this their 'job'. This isn't a 'job' - I have one of those. Most officials either work full time elsewhere or are retirees.
I've said many times I'd love to be an umpire if...
No way I'm signing up for that abuse.
- Jan 22, 2011
- 1,635
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Yup. I umpire a handful of games a year for the local rec league. I've been thinking of becoming an umpire for travel ball and HS for about 5 years, but don't want to put up with the grief. Still may try it to see how it goes after my DD graduates HS next year.
What is the cost for gear to become an official umpire? Between shoes, pants, shirts, legs, and chest protector? Around $300 to $400? I'm lucky the local rec league provides two shirts, plus I can use my gear I used when catching my DD, and I can wear a dark pair of pants. My pay for the first game every year goes to insurance.
According to NFHS, 50,000 High School officials have stopped officiating since 2018:
www.nfhs.org
www.wthr.com
globalsportmatters.com
What is the cost for gear to become an official umpire? Between shoes, pants, shirts, legs, and chest protector? Around $300 to $400? I'm lucky the local rec league provides two shirts, plus I can use my gear I used when catching my DD, and I can wear a dark pair of pants. My pay for the first game every year goes to insurance.
According to NFHS, 50,000 High School officials have stopped officiating since 2018:
Leaders at NFHS Officials Consortium Suggest Changes in Attitudes, Behavior
The NFHS is the national leader and advocate for high school athletics as well as fine and performing arts programs. Within our 51 member state associations, we serve 19,500 high schools and more than 12 million young people.
www.nfhs.org
Umpire shortage cancels Indiana high school baseball games
High school baseball games are being canceled because of a lack of crews available to officiate the contests.
www.wthr.com
Why Youth Sports Refs Are Leaving At Record Rate - Global Sport Matters
Young athletes lost months of play during pandemic shutdowns. Now, the drain of youth sports officials has the industry taking another hit.
globalsportmatters.com
