Frustrated Youth Soccer Referee Uses Facebook to Shame Unruly Parents
An Oklahoma youth soccer referee was fed up with unruly parents and spectators at children's sporting events, so he decided to take action.
A little more than one year ago, Brian Barlow launched the STOP (Stop Tormenting Officials Permanently) initiative and the
Offside Facebook page, which showcases instances of poor sportsmanship from adults, including brawling and berating referees.
Barlow encourages people to submit videos of the bad behavior; he pays the video owners $100 for each one he posts on the Facebook page.
On "Fox & Friends," Barlow explained that he wanted to raise awareness about this widespread problem, and hopefully shame and embarrass people into behaving civilly.
He pointed out that videos posted on Offside typically receive between 100,000 to 200,000 views, and he only expects that number to grow.
"When you're on video and you're caught acting like a fool ... you realize you've made a butt of yourself and you tend to change the dynamics of your behavior," Barlow said. "And that's all we're looking for."
He said he wants people attending youth sporting events to remember that these are supposed to be fun for children.