This piece, penned by US Lacrosse President and CEO Steve Stenersen, appears in the July/August edition of US Lacrosse Magazine.

In a recent survey of more than 17,000 sports officials conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) — the most comprehensive of its kind — 48 percent of respondents indicated that they have felt unsafe or feared for their safety at least once while officiating. 

Sadly, 57 percent of officials also shared their belief that sportsmanship, particularly at the youth level, continues to decline.

One unfortunate result of this trend is that officials typically quit within their first three years. This statistic was confirmed in a recent chat with a friend, who decided to try officiating after taking a break from youth coaching. With both kids in college, and despite a demanding professional career, he decided to give the stripes a try.

I ran into him recently and asked if he was enjoying his new role. “I quit,” he responded.

He explained that life was too short to endure the abuse that regularly spewed from the mouths of coaches, parents and, at times, the young players themselves.

Now, officials are about as perfect as coaches and parents, which is to say they are imperfect. Unlike most coaches and parents, however, officials study the rulebook like a textbook and invest many hours in ongoing training. The only way to truly hone one’s officiating skills is by having the courage to step on the field for the first time — and then again and again — to embrace the ultimate on-the-job training experience.

NASO’s survey results also revealed that 42 percent of officials decided to try officiating because of their love for the game.  Their goal is to help assure — to the best of their ability — that rules are applied impartially to preserve competition integrity and player safety.

As coaches and parents, we should consider that an effective training program for most endeavors — particularly those that include the interpretation of subjective rules in a chaotic environment — rarely includes shouting derogatory comments at the trainee repeatedly during the process.

As the saying goes, the sport doesn’t build character, it reveals it. The same can be said for our behavior toward officials on the sidelines or in the stands.