Decline of high school refs a serious issue in Colorado
Refereeing is a balancing act.
A love of the sport draws refs in. Being part of the sport gives an intangible sense of reward.
On the other end of the scale is the low pay, long hours and constant verbal abuse.
Colorado's scale is tilting in the wrong direction and the question of “is it worth it?” is increasingly answered "no" for veterans and newcomers alike.
Because of that, Colorado is nearing a crisis point as the number of high school officials continues to drop.
“They’re a vital part of what we offer,” Poudre School District athletic director Russ McKinstry said. “It’s really important and behooves us to try and make sure we give them good working conditions, fair pay and the opportunity for growth.”
In the last five years, the number of officials in each sport offered by the Colorado High School Activities Association has dropped, according to a memo sent to CHSAA officials at the start of this school year. The lone exception is hockey, which has seen steady growth in officials.
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For the 2011-12 school year there were 633 baseball umpires and 1,427 basketball referees. Five years later, those numbers have dropped to 513 (a 19 percent decreased) and 1,343 (6 percent), respectively. Wrestling officials have decreased 21 percent from 260 to 205.
At the same time, the number of CHSAA member schools is growing. In 2012-13 there were 341; now there are 351. Four more were approved for next year.
While 10 new programs doesn’t sound like a lot, those new schools could add up to 40 basketball games that need officiating.
The decline in refs directly impacts the product on the court, field, pool, track or mat.
“When I first started, an official never saw a varsity game until working five or six years,” said Perry Lewis, a veteran with more than 30 years of experience officiating baseball, softball, basketball and football. “Now, because of the shortage of officials, officials are getting thrown into the pot without the experience to handle a varsity contest.”
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Lewis retired from baseball a few years ago and just dropped football, in part, because the demands and time didn’t match the return.
The overuse of officials is impacting every game.
High school basketball is usually played on Tuesdays and Fridays, with some Saturday games. Some districts, like Adams 12 Five Star just north of Denver, have such a shortage that games are being moved to Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fort Collins basketball teams playing Mountain Range and Horizon this season have seen their games switched to odd nights because of the shortage.
Referees are now asked to work virtually every night. And within those nights, an official will often work two or three games, leading to mental and physical fatigue by the time the varsity game starts at the end of the night.
“The varsity official doesn’t want to see the guy doing the freshman game also doing JV and varsity,” Lewis said. “Obviously, you’re not as fresh, you’re getting tired.”
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Referees are also asked to travel further. Fort Collins is relatively well off in number of officials, so refs from the city can be sent all over Northern Colorado. Lewis says during football season, he’s sometimes sent as far away as Burlington, a 3 1/2 hour drive.
For a game like that, he has to leave his day job at 2:30 p.m. and doesn’t return until after midnight. All for $58 dollars, barely $5 an hour.
So what's the solution?
The biggest problem right now is there aren’t enough new refs coming in to make up for attrition.
Veterans say the burnout factor is increasing, as is abuse of officials by fans, coaches and players. That’s leading to more departures from the sport.
The low pay scale hurts in retaining and bringing in new officials.
Baseball, basketball, football and ice hockey pay $58 per contest ($50 per official for baseball and basketball when there is a third official) for a varsity official. Lacrosse and soccer pay $54.
Colorado is in the bottom 20 percent in the country in pay for those sports.
On Thursday, CHSAA has approved an increase of $2 per contest for every sport, set to be implemented for the next two-year cycle that begins with the 2018-19 school year.
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In addition to poor pay, hidden costs are often a deterrent in bringing in new officials as they must pay for their own equipment.
It’s relatively inexpensive for sports like basketball, but for baseball and softball the cost of the required safety gear can put an official out $300. And then there are dues and an expectation to do outside training, none of which is reimbursed.
“We get people interested and they come and we tell them the breakdown,” said Ryan Roark, an assigner who runs Northern Colorado Sports Officials. “You’ll probably be scheduled 15 games out of the chute, you’ll be working sub-varsity so you’ll get $44 per game. To get your gear for baseball you’re looking at $300, plus dues to the state. You’re looking at a $400 investment to start. You’re working all those early games for free to make that back. I get guys who come in and are on the fence. They do the math and say no.”
The pay also hasn't kept up with the rate of inflation. Roark says he made $52 for a baseball game when he started in 1996 and now makes $58. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $52 in 1996 translates to $79.54 in 2016.
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The constant abuse from fans and spectators has the most impact on young officials. Most veterans say they’ve learned how to deal with it, but young officials are often unsure of how to deal with it and it drives them away.
“Most of our officials are doing it because they want to give back to the community. It’s almost a community service type of attitude that they have,” McKinstry said. “It’s just really important for all of us as coaches, as fans, that we are respecting officials. They are providing a service to us that’s almost voluntary in nature when you look at how much they’re paid.”
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McKinstry says every CHSAA meeting he attends spends a large portion of its time on how to reverse the trend.
Colorado is looking at adding more sports, with girls wrestling inching closer to approval. More and more schools are coming, too, with Fort Collins looking to add two new high schools.
The scale keeps being knocked off balance.
If the trend continues, there could be a serious problem facing high school sports in Colorado. The refs can’t keep up with the growth and the negative impact will be felt at every event.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.
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Number of officials through the years
*source: Memo sent to all CHSAA officials