41’s Inside Pitch: Umpire shortage could be remedied by colleges

@MarkKnudson41

It’s pretty unlikely that your young son or daughter has answered “a big league umpire” when you asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up. It’s not a profession many young people aspire to. The question is, why not?

Umpires from little league to the big leagues can make some pretty good money. Veteran big league umps make as much as $450K a season. And while the chances of your son or daughter ever getting to that level are pretty slim, even at the very lowest levels, youth umpires can make better than $50/game for a couple hours of work. Yes, they take a lot of unwarranted abuse from overzealous fans and parents. Yes, they deserve a ton more respect than we give them. But…there are worse working conditions.

Right now, there’s a big shortage of umpires at the lower levels of baseball. Some high school games are officiated by a single umpire because so few are available to work games. Verbal abuse is a big factor, so is the time commitment and pay scale. There needs to be vast improvements in all those areas.

That doesn’t mean pursuing an officiating career – even as a part-timer – isn’t worth doing. And just imagine if the training was better…waaaaay better…for youth umpires.

Imagine if a college student could take classes in officiating and umpiring? He or she could be well trained on the fundamentals, thereby making them better at the job and subject to fewer verbal attacks. Umps will always be the targets of unruly fans, that’s part of the game. But if they make fewer mistakes, there will be fewer opportunities for loud objections. And the high quality training they could receive could also teach these young people how to best handle tense situations and obnoxious fans…and players and coaches too, for that matter. Those are good life skills, period.

A few years back, Bill Hanzlik and the Gold Crown foundation tinkered with the idea of starting umpire training classes at Metro State University. They had plans to start with basketball officials, but baseball umpire training was also on the agenda. Hasn’t taken hold yet, but it still could.

Certification of officials is a big deal with the Colorado High School Activities Association, and rightfully so. But imagine if CHSAA got on board with this idea and helped all the colleges in the area begin to include officiating classes as part of their curriculum – maybe within the secondary education or physical education departments – and included CHSAA certification for those who successfully completed that class work?

Not only could Colorado get better trained umpires for high school baseball and softball, but the better umpires could move onto the college ranks, and after that, who knows? There are a pair of MLB sanctioned professional umpire training academy’s now. They’re on the lookout for young talent to attend these academies and learn the trade in an effort to supply high quality umpires for all of professional baseball – including the independent minor leagues. What better way to get prepared for that well-paying career option than to train for it in college?

No reason places like Metro, Front Range Community College, Aims, Red Rocks and the rest couldn’t add courses in sports officiating. It’s a viable career option for almost anyone with a passion for the sport. Even if they don’t know it just yet.

Be sure to catch “The Park Adjusted Rockies Podcast” with Mark Knudson and Manny Randhawa available where you find all your favorite podcasts.