Try these innovative ideas in your programs
I recently had the opportunity to speak at a sportsmanship conference held in Raleigh, N.C. The event was co-hosted by the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and Silbo, a company trying to make it easier for officials to connect with organizations that need them. Both groups were put off by recent events and reports involving the verbal and physical abuse of officials at youth-sports events.
I won’t quote them all here, but the bottom line is there’s a real issue in recruiting and keeping sports officials—and with good reason. Young people just don’t think the money is worth the abuse; older, more experienced officials are quitting in higher numbers because they don’t like how the games have changed for the worst.
At the heart of it all seems to be a lack of general sportsmanship from players, coaches, and, of course, parents.
I have written about this issue before, but this is such a big topic that it deserves more attention and a closer look at what can be done to make the games safer for officials—and more fun for the kids participating. Some great ideas were presented at the conference, so I’d like to share a few that can be easily implemented.