Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Angry parents are ruining youth sports. Here’s how to rein them in

Referees and umpires in youth sports are increasingly under siege.

As millions of kids in the U.S. return to fields and courts for spring sports, black eyes and bloody noses are returning too. This time the injuries aren’t just among the athletes. These are dangerous times for referees and umpires who call penalties and outs.

In Laurel, Mississippi, earlier this month, an umpire of a 12-year-olds’ softball game was ambushed by a parent in the parking lot and hit in the face after the game. The accused assailant —

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times4 min read
Project Roomkey: Lessons Learned From A Massive Program To Save The Lives Of Homeless People
LOS ANGELES — The state program that provided private hotel and motel rooms for homeless people during the COVID pandemic improved healthcare for thousands and provided valuable lessons for how shelters could better serve their clients, a two-year st
Los Angeles Times4 min read
Commentary: What A Quail Taught Me About Grief By Joining A Flock Of Turkeys
It’s dusk in spring, and the seven-year anniversary of my mother’s death from cancer is approaching, a death that marked the end of my biological family. I want to text my friend Margot, who lost her dad to AIDS in the spring years ago, and ask, “How
Los Angeles Times5 min read
Review: In The Sci-fi Thriller 'Dark Matter,' Joel Edgerton Battles Through Parallel Worlds
Blake Crouch has enjoyably adapted his own 2016 novel "Dark Matter" into a nine-episode series for Apple TV+, which aims to be your destination for classy sci-fi. It's got nothing to do with "dark matter" except as Shakespeare might have used the phr

Related Books & Audiobooks