They are the people who are always there. Easy to take for granted and even easier to unleash your frustrations upon. Here's the thing: These zebra-striped, whistle-wearing men and women are becoming increasingly rare.
Officials around Washington say there is a growing disconnect between them and players, coaches and fans. It's showing as the number of new referees dwindles and the industry struggles to replace its aging core, mirroring a trend seen nationwide. Games have already had to be rescheduled; if the pattern continues, they could start to be canceled.
"No matter where you go, they need more officials," said Todd Stordahl, executive director of the Washington Officials Association (WOA), which recruits, trains and assigns officials for games sanctioned by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
The WOA has lost more than 1,500 members over the past decade, down to 6,153 in 2018-19, with an average age of 54. The numbers in basketball are particularly glum, down 12.2% just in the past three years, and Stordahl said football numbers decreased again this fall. The ratio of officials to athletes in Washington is at its lowest on record, with more than 28 high school athletes for every one official across all sports, down 23% from a decade ago.
"If the trend keeps going, we're going to have to drop games," Stordahl said, with freshman, C-team and junior-varsity games first on the chopping block.
As long as sports have existed, so have officials. And for about as long as officials have existed, they've been the favorite scapegoat of players, coaches and fans. Except for the lucky few, it's never been a profession in which to make a living. Mostly it attracts former athletes hoping to stay involved and parents looking to give back.
Two years ago, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) launched a recruitment campaign amid what it called "an exodus of officials at an alarming rate." It said only 2 in 10 officials made it past their second year. The yearlong campaign drew 1,200 new officials nationwide, but the number in Washington continued to shrink. While there is no national database, local shortages have been reported from wine country to corn country, Indiana to Pennsylvania and beyond.
So, how did we get here? The Seattle Times spoke with several referees around Washington. They described a career they love but one of long hours, low pay and little respect.
