Here is a recent article discussing just that (from Illinois). I have one other article I am still looking for.
Travel Information / Updates
How Illinois is addressing sports violence
By John Patterson
Daily Herald State Government Editor
Posted 1/6/2005
http://www.saa-online.com/sections/i...BSECTION_ID=66
SPRINGFIELD - In his experience as a suburban youth sports commissioner and coach, John Lawson has seen some horrendous behavior.
Fans going after game officials. Police called to break up fights between players' moms. "Just last year we had an instance where the high school players were threatening the umpire," said Lawson.
In fact, Lawson says he often sees worse behavior at youth sporting events than in his other line of work, which is telling given that for 19 years he's been a police officer in Roselle.
Hoping to thwart the growing nastiness at sporting events, Lawson, a sergeant with the Roselle police force, worked with local lawmakers last year to offer added legal protection for sports coaches and officials. The resulting law hit the books Jan. 1 and elevates any attack on an official or coach to an aggravated assault punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, the same penalties as those prescribed for assaulting a teacher or police officer.
Someone need not actually hit a coach or official to be prosecuted. Assault occurs when someone's conduct makes the victim believe he or she is at risk of being physically attacked. Actually hitting a coach or official is battery, which carries the same penalties. So now, angry fans yelling threats at a coach or umpire or stalking after an official following a game could be prosecuted as if they'd physically attacked the coach or umpire.
It comes on the heels of highly publicized incidents of sports and fan violence at almost all levels of sports in recent months. In Naperville a youth sports official said a players dad threatened him. In college football, Clemson and South Carolina aren't going to bowl games this year because of a massive melee at the end of their game. And in professional basketball, Detroit prosecutors are pursuing charges against players and fans for an erratic brawl that had players going into the stands and fans coming onto the court.
"We've all seen examples of it. Most people are fed up with it and don't think it should be tolerated," said state Rep. Paul Froehlich, a Schaumburg Republican who sponsored the new law. "And those who can't control themselves need to face some pretty strong consequences."
Across the country a growing number of states are taking action in an effort to stem the rising tide of sports violence. At least 17 other states have laws specifically prohibiting abuse of sports officials.
The Illinois protections for officials follows another recent law stiffening penalties for fans who trespass on playing fields, a move prompted by repeated fan violence at White Sox games.
William Ligue Jr. and his teenage son attacked Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa in September 2002. Ligue received probation, a sentence Gamboa said was far too lenient, but quickly ran afoul of the law again. Only seven months after the Ligues attacked, Eric Dybas ran on to the field at a White Sox game and tried to tackle field an umpire. Dybas was sentenced to six months in jail.
Before that incident, arguably the most prominent case of an official being abused came in 1996 when Baltimore Oriole shortstop Roberto Alomar spit in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck. That same year, Chicago Bull Dennis Rodman head-butted an official and Nick Van Exel of the Los Angeles Lakers pushed a referee over the scorer's table.
Barry Mano, president of the Racine, Wis.-based National Association of Sports Officials, applauded Illinois' latest effort to take sports violence seriously, but admits mixed emotions.
"On another level," said Mano, "it's kind of a sad commentary."