FOOTBALL
SNAP CHATS
BASKETBALL
ALL SPORTS
SAY WHAT TIME TO MAKE WHEN? YOUR MOVE
SOCCER
5MW AMANDA ROSS
SOFTBALL
NFHS ADDS INTENTIONAL WALKS
NOVEMBER 2017 // REFEREE.COM
POLITICAL BASEBALL IT’S PROVIDENCE PG.20
VOLLEYBALL
THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE
OFFICIATING
SURVEY
IN HISTORY PG.50
WHAT’S MY LINE? BASEBALL
NFHS NEW RULES your voice since 1976
$6.95
17,487 17,487. That is the number of officials whose investment in this avocation motivated them to respond to the recent National Association of Sports Officials survey. In the spring of 2017, the largest survey ever conducted in the officiating industry was carried out by NASO and sponsored by Peopletrail. The project began as an effort by NASO to explore how data might be used to improve the officiating industry. It was intended to be a project that cracked the door open to data collection and hinted at what information might be discovered. However, as fate would have it, the officiating world did not want the door to be subtly cracked open. Officials are ready to have their voices heard, not just in the future, but now. And now, NASO is ready to reveal collected data to the officiating community with meaningful visuals. As might be imagined, the door that has been swung open through this survey will provide the opportunity to explore many officiating topics for a long time to come.
50 | REFEREE November 2017
7
OFFICIALS HAD SOMETHING TO SAY UNPRECEDENTED DATA COLLECTION PROVIDES A VOICE TO THE OFFICIATING INDUSTRY The map shows the locations of the survey respondents around the country. There were also some respondents from outside of the United States.
NASO NATIONAL OFFICIATING SURVEY SPONSORED BY
Technical Support provided by:
REFEREE November 2017 |
51
17,487 OFFICIALS HAD SOMETHING TO SAY
WHO ARE WE? 17,487
53.29
WHO ARE WE?
6.43%
AVERAGE AGE
FEMALE RESPONDENTS
69.96%
WHITE RESPONDENTS
Age Distribution by Sport 80.00
Median Age Average Age
TRACK & FIELD
TENNIS
SWIMMING
FIELD HOCKEY
SOFTBALL
VOLLEYBALL
WRESTLING
BASEBALL
RUGBY
FOOTBALL
BASKETBALL
NULL & OTHER
LACROSSE
SOCCER
20.00
HOCKEY
40.00
COMBAT SPORTS
Age
60.00
51 54 55 55 56 56 57 57 57 57 58 58 59 60 60 60 48.41 50.96 52.60 52.97 54.04 54.26 54.77 54.78 54.83 54.91 55.99 56.33 56.08 57.87 58.04 58.74
The charts above show the average ages of officials in each sport. The line across the inside of each box shows the median age of officials in that sport. The box represents the range of ages of the middle 50% of the officials in each sport with the upper and lower hinges showing the upper and lower age limits of that middle 50%. The fact that some officials are significantly younger than most of the officials in a sport, or outliers, explains why the mean age is lower than the median age.
Note: The mean age is the sum of all of the participants’ ages divided by the number of respondents that answered this question. The median age is the middle value of all of the ages when the ages are put in order from youngest to oldest.
pro vs. women officials In 2015, 59% of Americans had completed some college or more, 33% had a bachelor’s degree or more, and 12% had advanced degrees including master’s, professional, or doctorate degrees.* In comparison, the level of education of professional officials and female officials is impressive. *Footnote: According to the United States Census Bureau’s “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2015”
52 | REFEREE November 2017
female officials:
professional officials:
Some college or more:
75.18%
Some college or more:
78.23%
Bachelor’s degree or more:
59.61%
Bachelor’s degree or more:
62.40%
Advanced degree:
28.74%
Advanced degree:
28.11%
Declined to answer:
19.05%
Declined to answer:
19.31%
Sport Level
Educational Level
High School Varsity
Declined to Answer
72.76%
Youth
69.51%
High School Sub Varsity
68.81%
Bachelor’s Degree
19.27%
Master’s Degree
39.78%
Small College
6.44%
Associate Degree
6.08%
Professional Degree 15.42%
Major College
Doctorate
6.75%
No Diploma
The chart shows all levels at which respondents have ever officiated.
9.54%
Post-graduate Study
High School Diploma or ...
19.85%
Declined to Answer
15.78%
Some College
52.19%
Adult Amateur
Professional
34.88%
3.54% 2.41% 1.58% 0.62%
The bar graph shows the highest level of education respondents have attained.
ETHNICITY, GENDER AND PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY* 11.33%
A
OF MALE RESPONDENTS HAVE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE OR THREATENED BY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE OFFICIATING COMMUNITY.
B
47.94%
C
12,889 MALES
1,113
FEMALES
OF MALE RESPONDENTS HAVE FELT UNSAFE OR FEARED FOR THEIR SAFETY BECAUSE OF ADMINISTRATOR, COACH, PLAYER OR SPECTATOR BEHAVIOR.
MIDDLE EASTERN OR NORTH AFRICAN 47 MALES
2 FEMALES
A 17.02% B 57.45% C N/A
D 50.00%
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 539 MALES
65 FEMALES
A 12.99% B 44.53% C 23.08% D 53.85%
20.58%
OF FEMALE RESPONDENTS HAVE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE OR THREATENED BY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE OFFICIATING COMMUNITY.
D
44.74%
OF FEMALE RESPONDENTS HAVE FELT UNSAFE OR FEARED FOR THEIR SAFETY BECAUSE OF ADMINISTRATOR, COACH, PLAYER OR SPECTATOR BEHAVIOR.
HISPANIC, LATINO OR SPANISH ORIGIN 427 MALES
37 FEMALES
ASIAN 117 MALES
17 FEMALES
A 16.16% B 52.69% C 29.73% D 51.35%
A 13.68% B 49.57% C 23.53% D 41.18%
WHITE
OTHER RACES
11,174 MALES
945 FEMALES
A 10.74% B 47.91%
C 19.58% D 43.81%
203 MALES
22 FEMALES
A 18.72% B 52.71% C 36.36% D 59.09%
*Numbers and percentages shown are based on the respondents that chose to answer the relevant questions.
REFEREE November 2017 |
53
17,487 OFFICIALS HAD SOMETHING TO SAY
what should be done to recruit and retain officials from underrepresented groups?
AGREE
DISAGREE OR NOT SURE
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS SHOULD BE DEVELOPED
74.20% SPECIAL RECRUITMENT EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO FIND NEW OFFICIALS THAT FIT INTO THESE CATEGORIES
63.34% SHOULD NEVER BE A DIFFERENCE IN TREATMENT AND THINGS SHOULD CONTINUE AS THEY ARE
52.56% ADDITIONAL TRAINING SHOULD BE OFFERED THAT IS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED TO THESE GROUPS
40.59% EFFORT MADE TO PUT REPRESENTATIVES FROM THESE GROUPS IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THESE GROUPS
37.18% EFFORT MADE TO PUT REPRESENTATIVES FROM THESE GROUPS IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS FOR ENTIRE OFFICIATING COMMUNITY
36.36% OFFICIALS IN THESE GROUPS SHOULD BE ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THAT GROUP AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
28.84% WHEN AN OFFICIAL FROM THESE GROUPS HAS EQUIVALENT SKILLS TO OTHERS, THEY SHOULD BE PROMOTED FIRST
23.69% AGREE THAT SPORTS DOMINATED BY ONE GENDER SHOULD BE OFFICIATED BY THAT GENDER
13.63% AGREE OFFICIALS FROM THESE GROUPS SHOULD BE PROMOTED FASTER EVEN IF THEY HAVEN’T MET THE SAME REQUIREMENTS
2.44%
Important note: When officials are filtered by gender, ethnicity or age, the trends in responses remain very similar. This means that officials as a whole, no matter what group they might be categorized into, have similar views on what types of action should be taken to incorporate more officials from underrepresented groups into the officiating ranks. RESPONDENTS BY SPORT AND LOCATION
BASEBALL
54 | REFEREE November 2017
SOFTBALL
BASKETBALL
WHAT ABOUT SPORTSMANSHIP? Sports officials say sportsmanship is getting...
Of sports officials that believe sportsmanship is getting worse... As a fan, do you ever heckle officials?
57.02%
YES
Do you ever publicly criticize other officials? YES
11.13%
14.61%
NO
NO
85.39%
Of sports officials that believe sportsmanship is getting better...
27.09%
As a fan, do you ever heckle officials?
15.89%
WORSE
NO CHANGE
88.87%
BETTER
Do you ever publicly criticize other officials? YES
YES
11.52%
19.24%
NO
80.76%
NO
88.48%
With 57.02% of respondents feeling sportsmanship is getting worse, we have a clear indication that action must be taken to improve sportsmanship. Unfortunately, even among the 57.02% that feel sportsmanship is getting worse, a substantial percentage heckle (14.61%) and publicly criticize (11.13%) other officials. Rugby and swimming are the sports in which the highest and lowest percentages of respondents (respectively) feel sportsmanship is getting worse. In rugby, more than 7 out of 10 feel sportsmanship is getting worse, while in swimming nearly 1 out of 2 respondents feel it is getting worse.
REFEREE November 2017 |
55
17,487 OFFICIALS HAD SOMETHING TO SAY
at what level is sportsmanship worst?
who causes the most problems with sportsmanship?
Youth Recreational
Not Sure
13.89%
Youth Competitive
36.02%
High School
39.54% 10.11%
Players 21.31%
29.57%
Coaches
Amateur Leagues
Professional
18.25%
Fans Parents
14.73%
Adult Recreational
College
1.45%
7.57% 2.15% 4.33%
Schools
0.38%
Governing Bodies
0.46%
Officials
0.24%
WHEN/HOW DID YOU START? Count of Respondents
65
1.00
60
61.00
55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 1950 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
At what age did you start officiating?
70
The chart shows the ages and years at which officials began officiating. The colors indicate how many officials joined the ranks at each age and year intersection. The red shows the lowest concentration of officials, with orange, yellow, light green and dark green each incrementally showing higher concentrations. This chart tells a story with the clear pattern of higher concentrations of officials starting the avocation at older ages with the advancing years. Continued on p. 58 56 | REFEREE November 2017
The concentrations of officials are represented as follows: Red = 1-12 officials Orange = 13-24 officials Yellow = 25-36 officials Light green = 37-48 officials Dark green = 49-61 officials
17,487 OFFICIALS HAD SOMETHING TO SAY Continued from p. 56
how did you first get into officiating? Asked by an official at the time
19.00%
Approached a coach or official
15.49%
Other reasons
11.26%
Asked by the sporting organization/ others in the organization
10.06%
Saw an ad on a sports association/ website
4.16%
Asked by their coach at the time
3.14%
Saw a job posting
1.02%
why did you start? why do you continue to officiate? For The Love of the Game
42.50% 16.72%
To Stay Fit
To Be Part of a Competitive Sport
Friendships Within Officiating Involvement at Elite Level To Meet New People Ability to Work With Elite Players Reward and Recognition
13.10%
16.60% 13.67%
To Have a Hobby To Mentor Newer Officials
13.16%
14.84%
To Challenge Myself
1.45% 4.28% 3.33%
10.51% 7.55% 1.32%/2.51% 0.50%/2.33%
0.70%/1.70%
Family/Friends Already Officiating
1.51%/0.63%
My Child Was Playing the Sport
1.27%/0.82%
This chart shows the percentage of respondents who first became officials for each of the listed reasons (in blue) in comparison with the percentage of respondents that are continuing to officiate for those reasons (in grey). It is clear that some of the motivations for officiating change as officials gain experience in the industry.
10.31% 8.83%
14.94%
Additional data from the survey will be released online in the fall of 2017. Go to www.naso.org/surveyresults to sign up to receive a notification when the data has been released.
RESPONDENTS BY SPORT AND LOCATION
VOLLEYBALL
58 | REFEREE November 2017
9.35%
SOCCER
FOOTBALL