Just now, FrankNicodemus said:

My opinion this 110% falls on the coaches!!!! If the coaches hold themselves to a higher standard of respect towards officials 2 things will happen:

1. officials will have the ability to turn a deaf ear towards the fans 

2. fans might just might follow the level of respect the coaches are giving the officials 

The Perfect Storm scenario that are running officials off is a Coaching staff losing their mind towards officials and then the fans that jump on that mindset to pile on that insane behavior.

It's on coaches and it's on school administration as well. 

Coaching staffs could have a pre-season meeting with all parents letting them know that berating officials will not be tolerated and if they do it, they will be removed and banned from attending games. School admin should be policing this during games as well. 

To your point, coaches will also have to not show their entire rear end towards the officials. 

1 hour ago, TheDeuce said:

It's on coaches and it's on school administration as well. 

Coaching staffs could have a pre-season meeting with all parents letting them know that berating officials will not be tolerated and if they do it, they will be removed and banned from attending games. School admin should be policing this during games as well. 

To your point, coaches will also have to not show their entire rear end towards the officials. 

This all sounds good but reality says this has never happened and never will.

I wonder if there are any schools in Kentucky that do talk to parents about about game conduct and treatment of officials?  Anyone?

I had a student in a high school softball game last year, a father, son team, I told him, he did a great job, please hang with it 

On 9/19/2024 at 6:46 AM, No Hiding Here....BC 21 said:

I thought I saw somewhere over the summer that the NKYFL is doing this, but I might be mistaken

NKYFL has a lot of teen officials.  All of our games have been at least 2 teens with 1 or 2 veteran officials. They have done great so far.

20 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

It's on coaches and it's on school administration as well. 

Coaching staffs could have a pre-season meeting with all parents letting them know that berating officials will not be tolerated and if they do it, they will be removed and banned from attending games. School admin should be policing this during games as well. 

To your point, coaches will also have to not show their entire rear end towards the officials. 

Sounds great, but majority of parents have little respect for the coaches in most of the schools.  I don't think it would have an impact on their behavior sadly. 

I had a veteran Coach tell one time recently after I brought up the ref shortages of what would be the quickest solution and he mentioned something I though was interesting. he said for Middle and JV type games he thought you should have one main ref paid to come in and then a coach for each team should be trained to ref games and so each team would supply a ref a piece and he thought that for most places that would work because the coaches would go a little harder on their own team to show neutrality and it would hopefully keep the calls in the middle. I though it was a interesting idea. but I could see if a program put a low integrity person in that person that it wouldn't work and cause issue.

8 hours ago, Red Dead Redemption said:

I had a veteran Coach tell one time recently after I brought up the ref shortages of what would be the quickest solution and he mentioned something I though was interesting. he said for Middle and JV type games he thought you should have one main ref paid to come in and then a coach for each team should be trained to ref games and so each team would supply a ref a piece and he thought that for most places that would work because the coaches would go a little harder on their own team to show neutrality and it would hopefully keep the calls in the middle. I though it was a interesting idea. but I could see if a program put a low integrity person in that person that it wouldn't work and cause issue.

Guys like him do not realize the time officials spend learning the rules, mechanics,etc. That definitely could open up schools to increased liability. In my experience a lot of coaches were a little vague about the rules..... especially NFHS as opposed to NCAA and NFL. I can't buy into that one.

The decline in officials is often viewed as a standalone issue, but I believe it is a symptom of a larger societal problem. In contemporary culture, we have elevated sports to a "golden calf" status, placing immense pressure on officials, coaches, players, and even volunteers, such as those on the chain gang or running concession stands. As an announcer, I will be the first to say that I regret being critical of what I perceived to be bad calls early in my career. Building relationships with officials changed my perspective and highlighted the heart, dedication, and training they invest in their roles.

We often forget the broader life skills learned through athletics. Many of us have personal stories about how sports impacted our lives. For me, trying out for the basketball team in sixth grade transformed my social skills and pulled me out of my comfort zone, providing valuable lessons that extended beyond the court. While athletes should strive to maximize their talents, it's essential to recognize their overall development. Only about seven percent of high school athletes advance to play at the collegiate level, and many do not continue after a year or two.

I empathize with the KHSAA's challenges and understand they are stretched thin from a staffing perspective. However, my experiences in sports media have shown that their processes can sometimes be less than user-friendly. While I won’t go into specifics, I sense that the constant influx of complaints from parents regarding various issues contributes to this frustration. However, I still think a more collaborative approach from them could foster better relationships and encourage greater participation from both officials and volunteers.

To echo @se7ens, the comment section can indeed be brutal and it's something that happens every game. These aren't 16 to 18 year old kids, these are 50 and 60 year old adults bashing officials, coaches, announcers, schools, and even sometimes an athlete. As a society, we need to view high school sports for what they truly are—extracurricular activities. They should be fun and enjoyable, whether attending to watch a relative play or simply to relax and appreciate a fun game. We need to get back to that. 

Pay them double!  You increase the pay vastly and you’ll get plenty of interest.   Everyone at every level boos the officials at some time.  Yes it’s a thankless job.  Be fair toward both teams and hold your head high.   Getting booed is part of the job and atmosphere.

On 9/19/2024 at 5:31 PM, theguru said:

I wonder if there are any schools in Kentucky that do talk to parents about about game conduct and treatment of officials?  Anyone?

We (Brossart) do it prior to each basketball season.  It is important for us to be good citizens of the 10th Region and show respect to the Bluegrass Officials who work our games.  Willie Schlarman started this back in 1997 and we continue to do it to this day.  We have had fans barred from attending games played in our gym.

From Northern Kentucky Youth Football League on Facebook.

We have had two incidents two weeks in a row involving negative treatment of our high school aged officials.  One fan and one coach. Both have been removed indefinitely and the earliest they can apply to be reinstated to the league is next season at that time they must be approved by the acting NKYFL board. 
I think we need to remind everyone that the HS aged officials are 100% off limits, if you don’t have anything nice to say, you don’t say anything at all.  Please pass the word on to all members of your organization.  
We have told these kids and their parents they will be protected while working our games and we will continue to show zero tolerance. Without the 50+ young men and women working to officiate the games, your children’s games would be short handed week in & week out trying to field officials. 
With that being said we expect everyone to be shown respect, not just the HS aged officials.  Let’s continue to do better across the board as a league for our youth athletes. We thank those who continue to support a positive atmosphere!
- NKYFL Board & Directors

On 9/19/2024 at 5:31 PM, theguru said:

I wonder if there are any schools in Kentucky that do talk to parents about about game conduct and treatment of officials?  Anyone?

Many of the PA announcers at the schools where I have called games emphasize, prior to the event, that taunting, throwing objects, and any poor behavior directed toward athletes, coaches, or officials will result in removal from the premises. Some schools also promote good sportsmanship online, similar to what Mustang described. While sportsmanship rules towards officials are mentioned at nearly every game I have attended, I have only seen them emphasized in advance on one occasion. This particular game involved a situation that inflamed an already heated local rivalry, where both schools made social media posts encouraging good sportsmanship and prohibited signs at the game.

Over the past five years, I have seen athletic directors approach spectators once or twice to address inappropriate remarks directed at officials, and I have seen a handful of ejections during this time. The most concerning behavior I encountered was at my first PA announcing event back in 2016, which was a little league softball tournament in West Virginia. That is the only time I have ever been involved with a full little league event and I saw as many altercations at that event in five days as I have in five years of broadcasting high school sports. Although high school officials were not utilized at this event, I would imagine with the official shortage that there are some handling the games at the younger levels.

The idea of involving high school students as officials is intriguing. I have observed this practice in volleyball, where students often serve as line judges during freshman and junior varsity games. Volleyball has experienced significant growth in the EKY area in recent years, and in addition to the high school players working as line judges many local players have returned to officiate. This involvement has positively impacted the crowds, as many spectators recognize the recent players stepping into these roles. Whether this initiative would successfully be applicable to all sports remains to be seen.

On 9/21/2024 at 8:00 PM, TCR said:

We often forget the broader life skills learned through athletics.

During my "work life" when things become tense/stressful/time crunch situations, I can tell very quickly who did and did not play sports by how they handle these situations.