The Decline of Umpiring

[radness]

you’re right - better to complain about the high strike.

Freakin HIT IT

 

[JayW]

Boy do I hate walks.

 

[radness]

Luv framing strikes on the perimeter!

 

[BB875]

There is a new trend with sports officials other than the decline in numbers because of parents and COVID.
The decline of knowledge and ability.

In the past (and it is fading fast to the past) that parents were the problem with youth sports. The goal to shame bad parents with signs, teams requiring good conduct contracts and peer pressure has worked. Covid can be blamed a bit for loosing some officials.

But not anymore.

I was interested in softball officiating. Not any more. I use to defend umps at softball games. Not any more. Umps use to be good. Not anymore.

This Fall Ball season has been ridiculous and bad.

Now the sport is just left with what is at the bottom of the ump barrel.

It is OK to demand that sports officials be competent.

That's the funniest thing I've seen all day. Thanks for a good laugh!

The declining number of umpires in softball is no joke. Games get cancelled because of the shortage. We can all justify the problem away, but the fact is new umpires are not coming into the sport. I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons, but complaining won't solve the problem.

So, like we tell the kids, control what you can control. You want better umps? Pay more. You want better umps? Start tossing parents and coaches, and make it hurt. TDs need to let all the coaches/fans know that umpire abuse will hurt. Otherwise, its the same-old same-old.

 

[erniekru]

There is a new trend with sports officials other than the decline in numbers because of parents and COVID.
The decline of knowledge and ability.

In the past (and it is fading fast to the past) that parents were the problem with youth sports. The goal to shame bad parents with signs, teams requiring good conduct contracts and peer pressure has worked. Covid can be blamed a bit for loosing some officials.

But not anymore.

I was interested in softball officiating. Not any more. I use to defend umps at softball games. Not any more. Umps use to be good. Not anymore.

This Fall Ball season has been ridiculous and bad.

Now the sport is just left with what is at the bottom of the ump barrel.

It is OK to demand that sports officials be competent.

Then why don't you become an umpire and show everyone how good you are and be a great example of a competent blue?

People get WAY to amped up on bad umpires. Who cares if an ump sucks? At least they're out there taking flak and letting all our "little susy's" play the game that they (and we) love.

All of these Hitten Kittens' sunday friendlies with bad umps mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. A bad ump never held a kid back from getting better at the game WHICH IS THE PURPOSE. In the games that matter, usually in the summer and for the big orgs, umpires will be better trained and more competent. At least that is my observation.

 

[BB875]

Then why don't you become an umpire and show everyone how good you are and be a great example of a competent blue?

People get WAY to amped up on bad umpires. Who cares if an ump sucks? At least they're out there taking flak and letting all our "little susy's" play the game that they (and we) love.

All of these Hitten Kittens' sunday friendlies with bad umps mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. A bad ump never held a kid back from getting better at the game WHICH IS THE PURPOSE. In the games that matter, usually in the summer and for the big orgs, umpires will be better trained and more competent. At least that is my observation.

Spot on. Also, a great coaching point is "Never let a bad call determine the outcome of a game. As a team we need to be better than that. "

 

[JumboJack]

you’re right - better to complain about the high strike.

ISWYDT. Didn’t complain, hit it instead.
That was the whole point of the tread. Hitting a ball at her eyeballs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[justAdad2]

i have noticed on average 18u showcases and national events tend to have better umpiring. if your team lost a tournament due to a lot of bad calls, it sucks but its part of the game. I noticed the longer DD and I attend these events the funnier the bad calls get for me. I find it amusing as hell seeing parents on our team and other lose their minds over a bad call, when we only have 50 more games to go in the season that never seems to end.

 

[flash277]

There is a new trend with sports officials other than the decline in numbers because of parents and COVID.
The decline of knowledge and ability.

In the past (and it is fading fast to the past) that parents were the problem with youth sports. The goal to shame bad parents with signs, teams requiring good conduct contracts and peer pressure has worked. Covid can be blamed a bit for loosing some officials.

But not anymore.

I was interested in softball officiating. Not any more. I use to defend umps at softball games. Not any more. Umps use to be good. Not anymore.

This Fall Ball season has been ridiculous and bad.

Now the sport is just left with what is at the bottom of the ump barrel.

It is OK to demand that sports officials be competent.

You should sign up, make Umpiring Great Again!

I was like you once, three years ago, complaining about bad umpiring, but unlike you, I signed up to do something about it. I found out, it's not as easy as you think, but then again, its not that hard either.

On fan and coach abuse, I've never really experienced it, maybe I'm a good umpire, but aside from the groans from "bad calls on pitches" or a miss call on base, I never had a problem with any parent or coach, I think they are getting better at behaving themselves.

As for umpires getting better, where I am, there is zero support. I started for a travel ball Org, all I got was 4 four hour classes on rules, I never learned proper mechanics or positioning. The first pitch I ever called was in a game (rec ball, but still). Same when I went to school ball, went to 6 weeks of classes, but before we went to field mechanics, it was canceled due to COVID. There has never been any refresher clinics for umpires, so basically I had to study video and talk to veteran umpires to get better.

Yes, I cringe just like everyone else when watching DD's game and an umpire blows a easy call, but that happens, umpires are human. I've called games when it's my third of the day, and I'm getting tired and thinking what's for dinner, my mind wanders a bit, and Bam!, something happens that catches me off guard. Sure, I should be 100% attentive at all times, but it just doesn't happen, I'm human too.

Like others said here, don't say all umpires are bad, yes some are, but most are competant to excellent, and they are the ones who step up so your DD can play the game.

 

[CoachJD]

We played in a PGF Showcase and one of the umps was 80 years old. Really, I asked him. Ump are getting older and older. I don't have the answers, just an observation. I fear for their safety.

We had an umpire for a high school game this year who was 87. Eighty-seven.

He was fine. He stood too far behind the catcher for my liking (imo this actually makes him more likely to get hit anyway). I remember him missing one really glaring thing, though I forget now what it was. But I had no issue with his knowledge of the rules. His strike zone was generally competent. It was all fine. He wasn't the best umpire we had this year, but he was nowhere near the worst.