In this youth baseball league, fans who mistreat umpires are sentenced to do the job themselves

In this particular youth baseball league, spectators who mistreat umpires are given the opportunity to experience the job themselves.

In the historical town of Mudville, where the legendary Casey encountered an ignored pitch resulting in a strike, there arose a subdued uproar: “Kill him! Kill the umpire!” echoed from a spectator in the stands.

Even in the year 1888, long before pitch clocks, exorbitantly priced beers, and instant replays, a common theme among fans in baseball’s most renowned poem was their inclination to threaten and abuse umpires.

Fast forward to the present day, approximately 135 years after Ernest Lawrence Thayer penned his famous verse, and one Little League in New Jersey has taken a proactive approach. Their target: individuals who watch 10- and 11-year-olds play baseball and subject the volunteer umpires to verbal abuse.

The message they convey is clear: If you want to criticize, step up and take on the responsibility yourself. In Deptford, the recruitment slogan for umpires might as well read: “If you can’t berate them, join them.”

At the time, league president Don Bozzuffi did not anticipate the April Facebook post would gain national attention. His frustration had reached a tipping point when two umpires resigned due to continuous mistreatment from spectators. As a result, he formulated an updated code of conduct.

The code specified that any spectator found in violation would be banned from the sports complex until they completed three umpiring assignments. Failure to comply would result in a one-year ban from all Deptford youth sports facilities.

In a family-friendly manner (unlike the language that could get you ejected), the mandate aims to encourage overprotective parents to calm down. No nine-year-old child will remember, in their adult years, whether they were deemed safe or out on a close play at first base. However, witnessing their own father being expelled from the game and facing repercussions for inappropriate behavior could leave a lasting impact.

The league is determined not to find out. “So far, it’s been working as I had hoped and serves as a deterrent,” said the 68-year-old Bozzuffi.

Unfortunately, the issue of fan misconduct extends beyond Deptford and its handful of unruly parents.

Instances of unruly behavior at sporting events for young athletes have had alarming consequences for officials at various youth levels. Regardless of the town, there are instances of adults physically assaulting referees or chasing umpires into parking lots in search of confrontation, all of which are readily available for public consumption on social media.

Videos depicting these incidents surface almost weekly, showcasing absurd displays of aggression towards officials. For example, in January, a Florida basketball referee was punched in the face after a game. Last month, an enraged youth baseball coach stormed onto an Alabama baseball field and wrestled an umpire to the ground during an 11-and-under tournament. Other adults and children attempted to break up the brawl.

Jim McDevitt, a volunteer umpire in Deptford for two decades, questions where the next generation of officials will come from. The job description includes minimal compensation and enduring a great deal of criticism. Youth officiating is currently facing a crisis. According to a 2017 survey conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials, nearly 17,500 referees surveyed cited parents as the main source of sportsmanship problems at 39%, followed by coaches at 29%, and fans at 18%.

Barry Mano, the founder of the association four decades ago, has witnessed fan behavior become “far worse” than he ever anticipated.

“Sports is simply life with the volume turned up,” Mano asserts. “We’ve become louder and more aggressive. We always seek a second opinion on everything. That’s the direction our culture has taken. I don’t

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More about youth baseball league

• Little League Baseball Official Website
• National Association of Sports Officials
• Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s “Casey at the Bat” Poem
• Deptford Little League Facebook Page