Kind of like if you worked at a Ice Cream shop and a parent came in with their kid. They are not paying your wages directly, the shop owner does. But they are still the customer. Without the kids, there is no youth softball, and without their parents paying for them to play, there is no umpires getting paid.The parents aren't paying the umpires directly and are not "customers" of the umpire. A poor way of looking at it and part of the problem...