HOUSTON — Attacks on sports officials have become all too common at youth sports games across the country, including here in Texas.
"We do a survey of our members who do not come back from the previous year. The excessive verbal abuse, threat of physical abuse from everyone, including the spectators is the number one reason why they don’t come back," explained Michael Fitch, executive director of the Texas Association of Sports Officials.
This is why House Bill 2484 is now in effect. It actively holds unruly fans at youth sports games accountable for their outlandish attacks.
"When they want to start physically attacking our officials, that’s where we have to draw the line," Fitch said. "School districts across the state were, not all of them, but some of them were just not doing their job."
The new law bans anyone who threatens or attacks an official from ever attending a University Interscholastic League game, and school districts would be required to provide security for officials each game thereafter.
"For every ten new officials we get this year, if we’re lucky we’ll get five of them back next year and then by the third year we’ll have probably lost eight out of that ten," said Fitch.
Leaving young athletes to bear the consequences of an adult's actions.
"In the state of Texas we’ve got games we cannot cover next Friday night," Fitch said. "We hope people will stop and think before they do something stupid."
New efforts are underway to help recruit and retain officials across the state of Texas.
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