A referee in Florida finally reached his breaking point with overbearing parents at a youth sports event. A video of the encounter shows the middle-aged man deliver an incredible speech that at first left the crowd in silence before it was met with a round of applause.
This kind of incident exemplifies the exact reason for the ongoing nationwide shortage of officials.
Referees and umpires are fed up with the constant criticism from parents throughout youth and high school sports. It is much easier to simply find another job.
A referee in Florida put parents in their place.
In the viral clip, which has racked up more than two million views on TikTok, the referee stops the game right in the middle of the action. To be completely honest, I do not know what exactly led to this exact moment but we have all seen the increase of unruly parents in recent years so I think we can guess.
The parents were likely complaining about the calls, or lack thereof, and heckled the ref from the sideline.
Whatever it was that set him off, the referee was not happy. He stopped the game to address the crowd.
“Do I look like I have to be doing seven games in 24 hours?”
The man answered his own question. No, he doesn’t.
From there, the official goes on to explain why there are so few referees willing to work youth sports games. He says it is because of parents like them. He asked them to grow up.
His tone was sharp, but equally as calm, cool and collected.
The crowd was completely silent when the official finished his speech. They broke out into a round of applause just moments later.
It was a poignant speech that reflects the unfortunate reality of youth sports. Parents make it miserable.
The decline of officials is a real problem.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, roughly 20% of high school sports officials quit between 2018 and 2021. That number has only increased over the last four years.
Meanwhile, referee registration has dropped around 30%.
A recent survey of 36,000 officials revealed a significant deterioration in sportsmanship across the entire United States. More than 40% of respondents said unruly parents and spectators is the biggest problem with youth and high school officiating.
Most of the referees do not address the crowd like the one in Florida. They just quit.
This man deserves proper recognition for his willingness to speak up. We need more of this!