The decline in interscholastic sports officials : identifying college athletes’ perceived barriers of becoming a high school sports official
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Ross A. Bouma (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Michael Hemphill
Abstract: In some areas of the U.S., high school varsity athletic contests are being postponed and sub-varsity contests are being canceled due to a shortage of registered officials. In recent decades, the number of different high school sports offered as well as the number of student-athletes participating in high school sports has risen. However, the number of registered high school sports officials is declining. The recruitment rate of new high school sports officials is not sufficient for the number of officials leaving the profession. Research indicates that officials often start officiating for a variety of reasons, such as: the love of the game, physical activity, building relationships, and extra income. Research also indicates that officials quit officiating due to a variety of reasons, such as: age, poor sportsmanship, career demands, low pay, and the number of meetings to attend. Few studies have investigated the barriers of becoming an official initially. This exploratory study identified what college athletes (n = 417) at a small, rural, private institution located in the Midwest, perceive to be barriers of becoming a registered high school sports official. Since many officials were once athletes themselves and the typical college athlete is relatively young, this is an ideal population to recruit and retain as registered high school sports officials. The biggest barriers identified by college athletes in this study were related to a lack of respect for officials, the time commitment of being an official, the stress/pressure/responsibility of being an official, the possibility of abuse, not knowing how or who to contact to become a registered official, and not knowing how or who to contact to schedule games/events. The findings from this study can be used to improve recruitment strategies and inform current practice in order to help increase the number of new young officials.
The decline in interscholastic sports officials : identifying college athletes’ perceived barriers of becoming a high school sports official
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Created on 8/1/2022
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2022
- Keywords
- High School Athletics, Referee Recruitment and Retention, Referee Shortage
- Subjects
- School sports $x Officiating
- Sports officials $x Recruiting
- College athletes $x Attitudes