If A Youth Sports Ref Has A Green Whistle This Is Why

One of my favorite memories as a kid growing up was playing youth sports.

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I played baseball, basketball, and roller hockey and loved every minute of it.

When I got into my teens I tried my hand at being an umpire.

The idea of getting paid to watch baseball seemed amazing.

But when I put on the umpire gear I only lasted a few games before I quit.

The reason I didn't last long was that several parents became hostile when I made a call that they didn't like. I did my best but admit some of my calls were wrong.

But my honest mistakes didn't give them the right to yell or berate me or any other umpire or official.

That's why after I saw a post about green referee whistles I loved the idea.

If Their Whistle Is Green They Are Under 18

Basketball Victoria started a campaign targeted at the basketball community to provide an appropriate environment for referees under the age of 18.

The intention of this campaign is to encourage those at games to publicly highlight just how incredible these children are for taking up such a challenging role.

General Manager of Technical Officials Jo Chu said:

“Victoria is privileged to have very talented referees who just happen to be under the age of 18, similar to our talented athletes under the age of 18. Our responsibility is to ensure we protect our young people to safeguard the future success of our sport”.

If A Youth Sports Ref Has A Green Whistle This Is Why

I LOVE this idea and wish that something similar to this campaign could come to youth sports in Michigan and across the country.