Referees are a vital component of any high school sports game. They’re the ones who signal the game- winning touchdown during the big homecoming game, the last-second shot that goes in at the end of basketball senior night and the goal the soccer team scores right before halftime. Recently, though, school districts have struggled to find referees, threatening many athletic events.
According to Athletic Director Justin Halas, some of the reasons for the referee shortages include negative fan behavior such as verbal abuse, low pay and declining recruitment. A survey conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials in 2023 found that 50% of surveyed officials felt sportsmanship worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic. Although competitive sports can become heated, Halas advises that audiences, players and coaches should be treating the referees better as a bare minimum.
“You can disagree with calls,” he said. “That’s part of the game, but do it respectfully. That’s all that (referees) are asking for. It’s a tough job — I’m glad they do it.”
To allow Gunn athletic competition to happen safely and even at all, there must be a sufficient number of referees. They ensure all the rules are followed and play
a big role in protecting athletes. Athletic Trainer Gagan Cheema admits that the referee shortage is worrying because the presence of referees allows for students to participate safely.
“The hope is that we do not continue with the shortage and that it doesn’t get any worse, because (referees) do play a big part in helping us keep an eye on all the athletes and the safety of our students,” she said.
Due to referee unavailability, the football teams, which typically play on Fridays, has had many game days changed to Thursdays and Saturdays. Senior Andre Lee, one of the varsity football captains, shared his disappointment on behalf of the team.
“It just sucks because our senior night is on a Thursday,” he said. “It sucks for us because the next day we have to go to school. As a senior, you know, I try to cherish all these moments, but when it’s a Thursday, it just feels so weird.”
Halas voiced his concerns on the shortage’s impacts on games due to the necessity of referees.
“(It’s) definitely a widespread issue,” he said. “There’s constantly cancellations, delays, nonscheduled officials. We need officials to get these games played. We don’t want to delay them. We don’t want to play games back to back to back, and we just want to get everybody on the same page: we’re here for the kids to play.”
