Referee Shortages Impact Northland Sports
Fewer Young People Venturing into Officiating
Sorry, this video is no longer available
There’s no question refereeing sporting events is a tough and sometimes even thankless job.
But, for folks involved in the Lake Superior Basketball Association, some of their greatest challenges come from the court.
The hardest is to recruit officials.
Fewer young people are venturing into officiating.
“We’ve noticed that we just don’t get those kids anymore,” said LSBA Assignment Secretary, Craig Lipinski.
Anxiety about getting attacked by a fan or fear of blowing up a big call are just a couple reasons fewer potential refs are trying out.
There are other issues too.
Many people just don’t have the time these days to start a new adventure.
“A lot of people have family lives and career lives,” said LSBA Charter Clinician, Adam Palan.
This is making it very hard for Palan to get in contact with solid officiating candidates.
“There’s going to be a lot of games that we are going to try and figure out how to fill without these officials,” said Palan.
Not only that, but more and more games are being scheduled throughout the season.
“I probably schedule about 1,000 games,” said Lipinski.
Lipinski says there are certain nights he just doesn’t have enough people to cover all the events.
“People then are working multiple games per night,” said Lipinski.
Officials are now feeling the physical impacts of the shortage more than ever.
“We’ve had a few people who have been hurt this year,” said Lipinski.
The lack of officials comes at a time when a handful of the older refs are getting ready to throw in the towel.
“Our older officials are just about ready to be done,” said Lipinski.
The goal is to convince more members of the younger generation to step up and fill the open slots.
Palan’s words of wisdom are, “If you don’t like winter and you are looking for a way for it to go by faster. Ref basketball.”
The referee pool may be dwindling but those who do it continue to have a strong love for the game.
