"For All Ages"

UMPIRES (Be thankful for what we have and help support them)

Parents, Spectators and Coaches need to be more supportive of umpires—and the consequences for not supporting the umps can be much worse than you realize.

Umpires are becoming harder and harder to hire, thanks to the constant stream of abuse that is regularly leveled on them by angry parents, spectators or coaches. No umpires equal no games, unless that behavior changes.

Treating umpires poorly and leveling abuse at them when you believe they’ve made an incorrect call is sending a bad message to your kids. “How we conduct ourselves really matters, and how we’re role modeling behavior to children really matters,”

And of course, umpires aren’t just yelled at and abused by adults. Kids can also be disrespectful, especially when things are particularly heated.

And as a parent, spectator or coach showing an umpire respect and kindness (even when you don’t agree with them) is important because it underscores the reason the kids should be playing the sport to begin with: because it’s fun and it’s joyful. It isn’t fun and it isn’t joyful to have a parent, spectator in the stands or coach on the field getting in arguments with the umpires—and it creates a hostile environment for the players. “Remember, these young athletes aren’t adults. This is not supposed to be about money or getting scholarship to play in at the next level, it’s not supposed to be about the win: although we do like to win sometimes, but sometimes some don’t win.  It’s supposed to be about joy, development, improvement, and working together,”

Remember that the parents, spectators, and coaches are yelling at people who are stepping up to serve this community and ball park, often with little to no pay,” Umpires are humans just like you and me. Our youth league is using some younger umpires we are bless to have to carry on the next generation of umpires for our community youth league program, be thankful they are willing to call games here, along with the umpires that have been here calling for years. "UMPIRES ARE GETTING HARD TO GET TO CALL GAMES"

As one of the Centertown Youth League Committee Members and Ball Park Board Member, I can speak on behalf of all our volunteer members of the youth league, want to thank you umpires on the job you take on for the game. Even in the college and professional levels of the game, umpires will missed a call, thankful they have instant replay by video, we don't.