Survey: 57% of referees say sportsmanship getting worse

Among the findings, 57% of officials said they believed sportsmanship is getting worse. More than 17,000 referees from various levels and sports participated in the survey, and the results were revealed at the 2017 NASO Sports Officiating Summit in November.

• 53.9% said coaches are responsible for improving sportsmanship.
• 6.7% said they regretted a time when they ejected a coach from a game; 58.2% said they regretted a time when they didn’t eject a coach.
• 64.1% said they have removed spectators for poor sportsmanship.
• 70.5% said they believe officials are treated unfairly by coaches; 49.1% said they believe officials are treated unfairly by athletes.
• 87% said they suffer verbal abuse.
• 13% said they have been physically assaulted after a game, most often by fans.

That’s just a taste of what the NASO survey has to offer, and we encourage everyone to take a look at the library of results here.

It continues to be a difficult time for sports officials, especially at the high school level. More than a dozen states have complained that they’re having trouble recruiting new blood into the profession, and that puts pressure on officials to increase their workload.

Click here to read more about the NASO survey.

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