Mounting GoPro type camera to mask
 

My local association is encouraging umpires to wear action cameras while on the plate (so we can use the footage for both training purposes and also for liability purposes too) and I'm wondering, for those of you who have mounted cameras to your mask, where's the best place to mount them? Any special mounts used to keep the cameras safe?

Just thinking out loud...

Other than when calling a pitch, my mask is usually off. If they put a camera on me, they're going to get a lot of footage with it pointing off in some random direction, not at any plays being made, because it's in my hand. And the rest of the time they'll probably have a real good shot of my elbow or armpit because it's tucked under my arm!

Are they also encouraging you to leave your mask on all the time?

Please give an example of how your association plans to use this technology for training purposes and for liability purposes.

You may be able to use the chest mount harness to get done what you are looking to do.

Training purposes: umpires use it to study game situations that develop from a first person view, if they so choose to, it's mostly for liability.

Liability purposes: coach gets angry, coach hits umpire, parent comes on field and assaults umpire, basically all the situations where you wish you had a camera to record what actually happened instead of dealing with he-said, she-said. It's 2015, time to bring some technology into the game.

If the game is so risky wrt this kind of behavior to require video security, I'm not putting on a body camera of any sort. I'm staying home.

Technology is fine, but I'm wondering how it would work. Is your association also telling you to keep your mask on while talking to coaches or when parents come on the field?? Are you "pointing" your mask at coaches, not holding it at your side, as we typically do? Wouldn't that (pointing your mask to record an interaction) be perceived as an aggressive action on your part? Would you be watching the parent coming on the field, or might you expect that person to come up from your blind side, anyway? When you are "recording" a coach interaction with your base umpire, who is dealing with your responsibilities, maintaining control of other coaches? Even a momentary lapse in the recording would make it arguable that it missed a key factor in the interaction.

I'm not seeing how a mask mounted camera would be helpful in recording the situation. I get the idea, don't see it being practical. Just my opinion.

Liability??!! Except for a coach getting angry (or a player for that matter) I've not had any of the other situations mentioned happen in a game I've worked. Not that it couldn't, but I'd have to say very rare.

If only for liability (lame excuse) having it on the mask is just silly, as others have pointed out.

If for training purposes, a camera mounted high up on the backstop fence would be more practical.

I don't know how expensive these things are, but police departments who have invested in body cameras need pretty big budgets.

Then there's the whole matter of having to watch/edit games for pieces of relevant games that are worthy of extracting for training purposes. That's a lot of time and I don't know how much money. Is the benefit worth the cost?

All well served by a fence mounted camera.

This is the worst reason, change for the sake of change. Bah.