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Poor Sporting Behavior Incidents
Every day in America and around the world, sports officials are physically and verbally harassed. Most incidents do not require police or medical assistance, but in some cases, the harassment turns violent.
The fact that such behavior occurs at sporting events involving youth participants is appalling in itself, but the frequency in which these reports now occur is even more disturbing. The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) receives numerous reports that involve physical contact between coaches, players, fans and officials. The following are examples of some baseball incidents.
• New Jersey – Nicokla Antuofermo, 39, of Old Bridge, was indicted by the Manmouth County grand jury and charged with assault at a youth sports event for an incident that occurred during a Babe Ruth baseball game. Antuofermo allegedly bumped and then punched the umpire during an argument. Under the New Jersey law, he could face up to 18 months in prison and $10,000 in fines.
• Kentucky – Roger Bratcher, a father of a T-ball player was briefly jailed after an outburst against an umpire during a game involving 5- and 6-year-olds. The accused threatened to beat the umpire moments before walking onto the field and starting a fight with Eddie Smith, who was officiating the game, according to the criminal complaint. A girl who was playing in the game suffered a minor injury when she was struck in the face during the scuffle. Both Bratcher, Jr., Smith and another individual involved in the incident received five-year bans from Daviess County parks and playgrounds.
• New Jersey – Brownie troop mother Lois Collinson faces charges after she jumped a fence and approached an umpire about a call during a minor league game. The confrontation took place in the seventh inning of a match-up between New Jersey and Staten Island after New Jersey Cardinals' player Justin Hieman was thrown out on an infield grounder. Park security officers responded and told Collinson to exit the field, but she refused and was handcuffed. Collinson was escorted from the field, processed in Newton and later released.
• Louisiana – A Mandeville, La., father allegedly made the call to attack an umpire following his 7-year-old son’s baseball game, pushing the man in blue against a bathroom wall and threatening to kill him. Ron Singleton, 28, was charged with battery after the encounter with 21-year-old umpire Alan Terry. During the game, Terry had ejected both of Singleton’s son’s coaches for disputing calls. Park workers stopped the scuffle and called the police. Terry had bruises on his throat and elbow, but did not require medical treatment.
• Oklahoma – Yukon High School baseball coach Larry McVay allegedly attacked umpire Clendon Cannon in the umpires’ room following a game with Moore High School. Cannon suffered a bruised lip, knot over his left eye and a sore right shoulder. Following an internal investigation by the Yukon superintendent, McVay resigned his coaching position with the school.
• Tennessee – Umpire John Garland of Nashville, Tenn., pointed out a couple of unsafe bats to a Little League coach during a youth game and ended up the victim of violence a day later. Garland said that Coach Jason Swafford approached he and his 17-year-old son, Brian, who also umpires, in the parking lot after games the next night. Swafford allegedly pushed, shoved and punched John Garland in the neck when he turned his back to walk away. He also struck Brian Garland, who had pointed out the same bats in Swafford’s game that night as his father did a day earlier.
• Tennessee – A youth league baseball coach was barred indefinitely from coaching his Little League teams and was criminally charged for pushing, shoving and punching an umpire in the Madison Little League. The umpire had disqualified two aluminum bats prior to the start of a 9- and 10-year-olds game based on a safety rule.
• Wisconsin - A coach and his assistant, after having been ejected from a 13 and-under youth baseball game confront the umpire and body slam him to the ground during a physical struggle.
• California - Kenneth Williams, 32, attacked and knocked an umpire unconscious over a disputed call at a Palm Springs Youth baseball Association game involving 9- and 10-year old players. Williams served a 180 day sentence in county jail and received three years probation. As part of the sentence, Williams was banned from participating in any level of youth sports again.
• Florida - During a 13-14-year-old division baseball game the umpire is attacked by a coach who is able to snatch the umpires facemask off his face and hit him with the mask and a water bottle.
• Florida - A 20-year veteran umpire is attacked by the coach after he disagrees with the umpires call. The coach "sucker punches" the umpire as the umpire is walking away and breaks his jaw.
• Pennsylvania - A former police officer was convicted of soliciting assault for giving a 10-year-old Little League pitcher $2 to hit another youngster with a fastball.
• Texas - A police sergeant and youth coach, angry after being ejected from his sons game goes home and puts on his police uniform, waits in the parking lot following the game and then issues a traffic violation ticket to the game's umpire when he leaves the facility. The officer is reprimanded by the police department for lying about the incident to his superiors.
• Wisconsin - A 62-year-old volunteer baseball umpire is punched in the face several times by a coach angry over a non-call in an 11-and 12-year-old level baseball game. The coach follows the umpire into the equipment room to attack him.
• Alabama - A father/son coaching duo attacked both umpires during an 11- and 12-year-old Dixie Youth League All-Star Game. The duo teamed-up to hold one official down while kicking and beating him.
• Oklahoma - A 15-year-old tee-ball umpire, was allegedly choked and punched by a 37-year-old assistant coach of a tee-ball team for five-and six-year-olds. The umpire was treated at the hospital for bruises around his neck and a burst blood vessel in his eye.
• Colorado - A 16-year-old umpire received four stitches in his mouth and was treated for bruised ribs after he was pushed, hit and kicked by players and a coach at a 15-to-18-year-old recreational baseball tournament. The official could have been more seriously injured had he not been wearing a chest protector according to the doctor that treated him.
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