Violence: The Epidemic Of Violence Against Referees

Referees are a part of of almost all sports. They are there to provide unbiased judgement on rulings of sports. Referees rarely get credited for the good they do, but they always take heat from angry fans, coaches, and players, no matter whether the call is good or bad. Sometimes, reactions go too far. Violence tends to take place if a referee makes a call at the wrong person at the wrong time. Referees are “Subjected to vulgar insults, threatened, chased off the field, attacked, hospitalized and, tragically, killed” (CNN). This issue is very severe, and it should be addressed more than it already is. The issue of violence against referees has been around for many years, but it has never been acceptable. Baseball umpires, football, basketball,

Typically after a call is made, which one player or team is not in favor of, there is some type of verbal abuse given to a referee. Unfortunately, some people, whether they are players, coaches, or fans, lose their moral values for a short period, and commit an act of violence against a referee. It is an epidemic that obviously should not happen. One analogy to this would be punching one’s boss for making him or her work late. In an overview, anger to the point of violence against referees is a very silly act to commit. No one ever has anything to gain from it. Additionally, in research about sports violence by Tim Delaney, a college professor, he writes, “When someone decides that they can justify certain behavior in an attempt to gain an edge over an opponent, they are likely to engage in deviant social action.” In other words, if someone thinks violence could help them achieve something in the name of sport, he/she may think it is acceptable. Consequently, we see many acts of violence against referees every year, with soccer usually having the most severe. Fortunately, steps are being

Some are worse than others, and different punishments are given out for different offenses. One example took place in 2006 at a minor league baseball game. One prospect, a former number one overall draft pick, who would later play for multiple teams in Major League Baseball, Delmon Young, had an altercation with an umpire. The umpire called strike three, although Young believed the pitch was outside the strike zone. An argument ensued between the two at home plate. About a minute after the argument began, Young walked away, while still making comments to the umpire. The umpire, after showing some leniency to Young, then ejected him from the game. Next, young hurled his bat at the umpire, striking him. Fortunately, the umpire was not injured, and he was able to finish officiating the game. Young, already ejected, was removed from the stadium, and suspended fifty games by the league. Young did not debate his suspension, and he served it immediately. This punishment was enough to prevent any more violence over Young’s ten year Major League Baseball career. Violence against referees does not only take place in the United States, as it takes place in other countries, too. As aforementioned, violence against soccer officials tends to be the most severe. In the Netherlands, a volunteer youth soccer linesman, Richard Nieuwenhuizen, was killed by three teenagers after played in a game he officiated. Nieuwenhuizen was