It seems as if the subject of umpire and referee abuse enters the national media cycle every few months—after all, the national shortage of officials still affects all sports and has led to cancelled games—and one New Jersey Little League decided to combat the problem of parents behaving badly with an interesting remedy: make them work three games as an umpire.
In the past, sportsmanship pledges amongst parents and other preventative approaches have had mixed success, but nonetheless, abuse of officials remains a worldwide problem, sometimes resulting in violent crime, physical injuries, or even death.
The trouble with sports is the same reason athletics appeal so universally: the artificial competition creates a tight-knit community through the vehicle of a team whose objective is, simply, to win a game. When that goal, or intermediate steps to attain that goal (such as ball and safe calls on defense or strikes and out calls on offense), falls short, that egoistic conflict sometimes ignites powerful emotions that can lead to poor behavior.
The cycle of abuse largely follows a circular pattern of four stages: there is the unsporting incident, followed by an attempt at reconciliation. This usually results in a time of calm with parties gaining a newfound perspective akin to a honeymoon period of sorts. But, eventually, tension builds as calls don't go a team's way or other similar conflicts resurface, until the cycle comes full circle and another incident transpires.
Will Deptford Township, NJ Little League's approach work on parents by activating empathy or an understanding of what it's like to be stuck in the middle? Or will that attempt at reconciliation and respect just prove futile? Only time will tell.
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