Wichita State softball outfielder holds program home run record
22 March 2024
TOPEKA, Kan. (WDAF) – An initiative at the Kansas State Capitol could protect sporting officials from abuse.
Right now, Kansas is one of many states dealing with a shortage of referees and umpires. One reason for that is the verbal abuse hurled at them by unruly spectators.
“To see what some adults do during a high school basketball game from the stands is, quite frankly, embarrassing,” said Jeremy Holaday with the Kansas State High School Activities Association. While verbal abuse is common, he said they rarely see physical violence at Kansas high school sporting events.
Holaday explained that KSHSAA has about 5,000 members but that there’s been a growing concern over the last decade about a decline in numbers.
“The number one reason given to us over the last few years of why, if you register for year one and don’t come back for year two, is because they didn’t feel like taking the abuse,” Holaday said. “The verbal abuse wasn’t worth their time.”
An amendment was added to a bill earlier this week, which is designed to protect public transportation officials from abuse.
Representative Clarke Sanders, a Republican who represents House District 69 near Central Kansas, is responsible for attaching the proposal to the bill.
A former umpire himself, he explained that he has received some verbal abuse in the past.
“We have a real big problem that’s only getting worse in Kansas with getting people to officiate sports games, especially at the high school levels,” he said.
The verbiage added to House Bill 2808 would make physically or verbally abusing an umpire, referee, or other official a crime punishable by six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. If an official is under 18 years of age, that’d be increased to a $2,500 fine, a year in jail, or both.
Twenty-two states currently have laws protecting sporting officials. If Governor Laura Kelly were to sign HB2808 into law, it’d make Kansas the 23rd state to protect sporting officials from abuse.
“We don’t want laws to change behavior,” added Holaday. “We want behavior to change because it’s the right thing to do. We take this seriously. We want to make sure that we’re protecting the men and woman on the field, pitch, and court when they work for our schools.”
According to LegiScan, the bill is now waiting to be passed out of committee. During the last two legislative sessions, similar legislation failed to gain any traction, making its future at the Kansas State Capitol uncertain.