Abuse/assault on officials

[Ron Pilo]

As a result of the email I received below I am looking for stories on abuse or assults on officials.
Please respond my sending the stories to me and my email thanks.

I am a sports columnist for the Eastside Journal in Bellevue and South
County Journal in Kent. I was given your name by Dan Ivanis as someone
who might help me out for a column I'm doing on sports officials and
their dealings with out-of-control parents and coaches.
I understand there was a bill in the State House addressing that issue
and am trying to find out if that bill passed or where it stands. Do you
know the status of that bill or any others like it?
Also, any personal knowledge you might have of officials who've been
attacked by parents or coaches would be helpful. My column is prompted by
an incident I witnessed at my son's Little League game last week, when a
coach who'd been kicked out of the game waited around and then tried to
go after the umpire when the game ended.
I know this kind of stuff happens, but it was shocking to see it first
hand and I'd like to address the issue sometime soon.

------------------
Ron
Seattle Officials - Women's Basketball

[Richard Kreimer]

They just passed a law here in GA to protect officials. The legislator who brought it up is an official himself.
There is an article in the last Referee magazine I received in regards to this very subject.
Good Luck

[Madine30]

In Ohio there is a bill being considered. However, the very influential prosecutors are opposed to the legislation because they don't wnat to single out one group of people. If you are looking for more info., you can email me. I go to Ohio University, and was interviewed by the school paper about this topic. The article is on the web. If you want I can find out the address.

[Brian Watson]

To give everyone the proper perspecive of how most officials are respected, they tried to pass a bill like this in IL.

The speaker told the house it wasn't needed. I forget his exact words but it was something like: 'Ref's sometimes deserve a good thump.'

Pure class coming from a state congressman.

[Hawks Coach]

If you are still looking for stories, I know that some officials in Virginia had trouble during AAU qualifying about 1-2 months back, fans comming out of the stands, etc. As coaches going in to regionals, we were all warned by our club to be on our best behavior and to keep our parents under control. Alarmingly, AAU did not think that the incident warranted action, although coaches that I have spoken to that heard about it all agreed that, at a minimum, the team should be suspended and action taken against the coach. Many believe that the club should be suspended for next year's qualifying and this year's nationals. I enjoy the competition that AAU brings, find most of the coaches (on the girls side of the house) to be very reasonable, and am bothered that we allow the worst of the bunch to cast a blight on what should be (and frequently is) an outstanding athletic development program.

[Richard Ogg]

If you're serious about doing a quality article, you owe it to yourself to at least contact the National Association of Sports Officials (http://www.naso.org) who, among other things, publish the Referee magazine (http://www.referee.com). This is a key issue that they stay on top of. I would anticipate that they can communicate any recent events in your area, provide information on recent events anywhere, and report on any pending legislation. They can also provide information on the results of legal proceedings from such events.

Thank you for putting effort into such an article.