Respect The Umpires
Published by Thapos Admin
May 16, 2018
This past Sunday there was an on-field confrontation between a player and an umpire that threatens the WHSL's existence. We depend on Westchester's ASA umpires to officiate at our games. They are an integral part of our league's organization and must be shown the proper deference.
The incident involved a player who disagreed with an umpire's judgment call and argued until the umpire told him to stop or be ejected from the game. The player continued to push it, so the umpire ejected the player. This player refused to leave the field as directed by the umpire. The umpire warned the player that if the player refused to leave the field, his team would forfeit the game. Again, the player did not obey the umpire, who called a forfeit and left the game.
Once an umpire makes a ruling on the field, it's understandable to disagree with the call, but past a certain point it is unacceptable to continue an argument - and it is never okay to treat an ump with disrespect.
If a team disagrees with an umpire's interpretation of one of our league-specific rules (rather than a judgment call), the team manager may file an official protest with the umpire, which protest will be brought to the league's Rules Committee for deliberation after the game.
We emphasize that Sunday's incident is unacceptable and not in the spirit of the WHSL. Going forward, the league office will take punitive action against any player ejected from a game for arguing with an umpire.
The incident involved a player who disagreed with an umpire's judgment call and argued until the umpire told him to stop or be ejected from the game. The player continued to push it, so the umpire ejected the player. This player refused to leave the field as directed by the umpire. The umpire warned the player that if the player refused to leave the field, his team would forfeit the game. Again, the player did not obey the umpire, who called a forfeit and left the game.
Once an umpire makes a ruling on the field, it's understandable to disagree with the call, but past a certain point it is unacceptable to continue an argument - and it is never okay to treat an ump with disrespect.
If a team disagrees with an umpire's interpretation of one of our league-specific rules (rather than a judgment call), the team manager may file an official protest with the umpire, which protest will be brought to the league's Rules Committee for deliberation after the game.
We emphasize that Sunday's incident is unacceptable and not in the spirit of the WHSL. Going forward, the league office will take punitive action against any player ejected from a game for arguing with an umpire.