Youth Sports Coaches Face Hostility, Attacks From Parents

(From AP News) As millions of kids return to fields and courts for spring sports, schools are faced with a growing referee shortage, driven in part by increased instances of verbal and physical abuse from volatile parents and coaches. Attacks have happened at a Texas baseball game, a Northern California soccer game and a Colorado hockey game, where one parent sprayed a referee in the face with an industrial-sized can of Lysol. In addition to rowdier parents, they also have to deal with being trolled online when video of their calls can easily be taken on a cell phone and posted on social media. The National Association of Sports Officials now estimates the number of registered officials has dropped between 25-30% since the start of the pandemic.