Rural Missouri - March 2023 - 26

MORE STRIPES NEEDED
Referee shortage taking a toll on high school sports
by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
T
he high school gymnasium fills up as the studentathletes
warm up on a cold Friday night. The
seniors are honored before the game, and the
hometown cheers seep into a small room hidden
from the public a few feet from the hardwood. Inside, a trio
of officials - ranging in age from their 20s to 50s - are
stretching, reviewing game mechanics and, of course, giving
each other a hard time. They don't have a dog in this
fight, but they're crucial to the outcome.
Thousands of Missourians don an officials' uniform
each year to call balls and strikes, fouls and double
dribbles and decide whether a volleyball spike landed in
bounds. A decline in official participation is creating problems
for schedulers and athletic departments.
People become officials for a variety of reasons, but one
of the biggest is to stay affiliated with athletics, according
to Kenny Seifert, a coach-turned-referee who now is the
Missouri State High School Activities Association assistant
executive director and in charge of the officials program.
That was the case for Loyd Rice, who started patrolling
the basketball courts of southeast Missouri 30 years ago.
" My high school coach knew how much I enjoyed basketball
and thought I had the right temperament to ref, " says
Loyd, an employee of SEMO Electric Cooperative. " I saw it
as an opportunity to stay connected to the game I loved. I
caught the bug right away. "
Fewer and fewer have caught that bug. This past year,
MSHSAA reported 7,138 officials across all activities,
down 1,200 from a decade ago. " In those 10 years, our
26 RURAL MISSOURI | MARCH 2023
population hasn't shrunk, " Kenny says. " We're building
more schools. We've got more kids playing at more levels
across the state. The gap keeps getting greater and greater. "
Kenny says some officials age out. Others start at a
young age and as they get married, have families and
advance in their professions, officiating becomes less and
less of an option. " We're not concerned about those young
people whose priorities have changed a bit and can't devote
the same amount of time, " Kenny says. " They might come
back later if they enjoyed it. What we're concerned about is
those we lose because of behavior in the stands. "
Kenny says if an official gets through three years,
they're likely to stay on for decades. However, getting to
that three-year mark has been increasingly challenging.
" The demands and expectations on officials can be a
lot, " Loyd says. " We have day jobs before the games. Then
if you make a close call one way or the other, you just get
freaking barbecued by parents and fans up and down the
court. It can be tough, especially on young officials. "
Braxton Nicks of Jefferson City began officiating football
and basketball in his 20s. He says the problem isn't
just at the varsity football level. " Younger levels are where
new officials start out to learn the basics and we've seen
disorderly conduct at these levels, " he says. " It's not at all
games, but I've witnessed the berating of new officials who
are just trying to learn a new craft. At these youth games,
mistakes are going to be made by the officials, players
and coaches. If we understand that, it will lead to a more
healthy atmosphere for everyone. "
The shortage has real-world consequences. " In the fall,
there just aren't enough officials to cover football games on
Rural Missouri - March 2023

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