Tormenting Sports Referees Could Become A Crime In Wisconsin

A bill in Wisconsin is trying to make harassing sports referees a crime.

Have you been to a youth or high school sports event lately? It's amazing how bad the fans get on the refs. There have been some cases where a parent actually attacked an umpire. It's gotten so bad, there's a shortage of officials in Illinois.

It's not just happening here, it's a national problem. Wisconsin is trying to do something about it and I hope Illinois follows suit.

According to mystateline.com,

"Harassing sports officials in Wisconsin would be a crime punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and nine months in jail under a new bipartisan proposal. The bill introduced this week in the state Legislature is designed to protect referees and other officials from violent fans. There has been an increasing number of incidents where fans have attacked officials in Wisconsin and across the country. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and other sports organizations sought the proposal amid increasing incidents of referee harassment. They see the bill as a way to help stem a drop in people willing to be officials."

Don't get me wrong. I understand that referees aren't perfect and make mistakes. I think it's okay to boo but to go after refs as some people do is ridiculous.

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