SIBUA - Umpires

We were there!

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The struggle is real!

For umpiring recreational-league baseball in Bel Air, Md., Tom Howell IV gets $40 a game. It’s a nice way for him to earn some extra cash outside of his day job as the head of product marketing for a fintech company.

But “I would do it regardless of the money,” says the 50-year-old Howell. “There’s a dearth of umpires in general. And it would be terrible if a team wasn’t able to play because there weren’t enough umpires.”

That dearth extends well beyond baseball, touching almost every sport in recreational and school athletics. Officiating deficiencies have led to canceled games and shortened seasons. Some games are played with fewer officials, generating complaints from spectators about the quality of the officiating. Existing officials, already stretched thin, are being asked to take even more assignments, which leads to burnout and even higher turnover.

With officiating at a breaking point, experts in school athletics are pushing for changes in the way sports officials are recruited, trained and, most important, treated on the playing field.

🔗 Read more: https://wsj.visitlink.me/S8yzuQ

We'll be there!