Kentucky sees drastic decline in sports officials

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — There are thousands fewer sports officials in Kentucky than a few years ago, and the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) points to one major issue – spectators.

“I think you’re seeing officials get out of the officiating business is one problem and the other problem is people don’t want to get into it,” said associate commissioner Butch Cope.

Cope said the number of officials dropped from about 9,000 officials in 2018 to 5,700 in 2023. He said it’s because of bad sportsmanship.

“Fans just need to take a breath, and stop and think sometimes, the things they say, the coaches or administrators, would they say that to their spouse? Would they say that to their school principal? Would they say that to their superintendent?” said Cope.

He said if there aren’t enough referees, games will be canceled. Cope said it’s typically freshman and JV games that get the axe—in order for varsity games to still go on.

Soccer and wrestling have the biggest shortages of sports officials, but the KHSAA has devised a creative solution in recent years to combat that. It’s a program that gets 14-17-year-olds officiating for lower-level games with a mentor.

“They’re not perfect, but I don’t think our players or coaches are perfect either so we got to work together to improve the sportsmanship aspect,” said Cope.

If you’re interested in becoming a sports official, click here for more information.