New bill on Beacon Hill to protect local referees against unruly fans

BOSTON — It’s a tradition that, some say, has gotten way out of hand: disagreeing with the ref.

“When we’re out there just trying to officiate for your kids, it’s not okay to have a fan yell at me,” said Mark Rulli of the Massachusetts Baseball Umpires Association. “A coach can yell at me to maybe get a call or maybe I didn’t see something he’s trying to get my attention to it. Fans should be there to cheer on their kids and enjoy the game and not go after the officials.”

But, increasingly, sports officials have become fair game --- in part, they say, because some parents have unrealistic expectations.

“They think Little Mary is going to UConn for basketball and little Johnny’s going to Vanderbilt for baseball,” said Moe Duffy, a multisport official for more than 20 years. “It’s not going to happen. The higher you go, the pyramid gets awfully small. You have to let a kid be a kid.”

And a new bill on Beacon Hill suggests it’s high time to let sports officials be sports officials. HS 1427 would bring to Massachusetts what 22 other states already have: stiff penalties for abusing sports officials -- physically or verbally.

State Rep. Rob Consalvo of Hyde Park is the sponsor.

“I coach Little League baseball and basketball in Hyde Park ‚so I’ve seen firsthand how sometimes these situations spiral out of control,” Consalvo said. “And what we’re trying to do is to make sure the folks who are our officials, our referees, get the protection that they need and that there’s a deterrent.”

At the moment, individual sports organizations codify appropriate behavior -- but Consalvo said that does not appear to be enough. His bill calls for fines and even imprisonment for referee abuse.

Tuesday, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary held an initial hearing on the bill. Among those attending -- long-time referees who have seen fan behavior degrade over the years -- even to the point of dangerousness.

“We’re going after people that are standing up saying, hey that guy’s awful. And then the guy next to him says he IS awful,”said Rilli. “And then it escalates. And we feel this bill is actually going to stop that. It’s going to stop to the point where we have a physical escalation and now there will be penalties if you do that to a sports official.”

Consalvo said the bill still has a long way to go -- and that he’s looking forward to feedback from the sports officiating community.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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