4 Ways to Resolve the Referee Shortage in Youth Sports
Sports officials are quitting in high numbers because of the abusive behavior they receive.
Rico Phillips will never forget his first experience as a sports official. It was in the 1980’s, and the Flint, Michigan native was only 17. Shortly after he began officiating youth hockey games, an assistant coach shouted a racial slur at him after disagreeing with a call.
Phillips was the only Black person on the ice. The incident almost caused him to walk away from the sport.
The senior referee working with him immediately took control of the situation. He also gave Phillips a piece of advice.
“He told me it was time to grow up, that there will be people in my world who are ignorant and bigots,” Phillips told me during an interview for a story on USAhockey.com. “I could either walk away or face those types of situations head-on.”
Many others in Phillips’ position would have quit on the spot. Fortunately, he took that senior official’s advice to heart, and is still officiating over 30 years later. His situation may not seem surprising considering the problem of racism in sports and society. But abusive behavior toward officials isn’t limited to minorities. Almost everyone who puts on the stripes…
