Home plate seen through a chainlink fence.

Adults are Ruining Youth Sports!

—Randy Corwin, author Obnoxious Parents and Ruthless Coaches


  • How the “supply chain” of sports officials has been halted

    Part VI of Why Youth Sports Umpires and Referees are Calling it Quits! Many youth baseball umpires and referees get their start in their early teens. At that age you usually can’t get a real job, so for young teens…

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  • Why didn’t we see the shortage of officials coming?

    Part V of Why Youth Sports Umpires and Referees are Calling it Quits! The downward spiral of the number of available youth umpires and referees has been happening for years, long before COVID-19 turned the world upside down. In 2019,…

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  • How did a shortage of officials happen?

    Part IV of Why Youth Sports Umpires and Referees are Calling it Quits! HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! So does Boston, Chicago, New York, and every other major city and small town in America where youth sports are played. In…

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  • Desperate times and desperate measures

    Part III of Why Youth Sports Umpires and Referees are Calling it Quits! Since so many parents and spectators don’t “bite their tongues” when they disagree with calls officials make, their unacceptable behavior causes problems. One of the biggest problems…

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  • Despite warnings, abuse of officials continues to worsen

    Part II of Why Youth Sports Umpires and Referees are Calling it Quits! These were other observations I had from this past 2023 baseball season: Although there seems to be more awareness of the abuse of youth sports officials today…

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  • An umpire with both hands up in the air.

    Youth sports officials resign at alarming rates

    Part I of Why Youth Sports Umpires and Referees are Calling it Quits! With the 2023 season concluded, youth baseball is alive and well, but it has a serious problem which has been ignored for many years. Now in my…

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