Why would anyone want to be an umpire for a Tee-ball league? I was watching my five year old grandson play ball recently. There was one umpire to survey the entire field. He made a couple of close calls, and coaches and parents were all over him. Yes, I know these were our babies out there, but I couldn’t help thinking of the horrible example these complainers were setting for impressionable five year-olds. The loud protests made me wince as I glanced at wide-eyed kids in the dugout.
I’m as competitive as the next guy, but at this level, it just shouldn’t matter whether the umpire is right or wrong. There should be respect for his authority. The poor guy can’t win. Why would anyone let himself in for this kind of abuse? Maybe the reason there is only one ump for the entire diamond is because they can’t find enough people willing to do this thankless community service job. Hard to blame them.
Could it be this behavior reflects the lack of respect for authority that pervades all of our culture? If so, it’s not hard to see where it is learned.