NH sports officials lobby for bill to quell unrest in the stands
Feb. 29—CONCORD — Officials from several amateur sports said a judge should be able to ban a player, coach or spectator from attending games if that person is convicted of criminal assault, threatening or harassment.
The full state Senate is scheduled to vote on such legislation (SB 327) next Thursday.
"I think it's getting worse and worse," said Stuart Dedopoulos of Durham, who spent 27 years officiating school soccer and is in the middle of his 53rd year as a basketball official.
"I think it is a reflection of where society is," Dedopoulos told the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing this year.
He recalled working as a referee in a men's basketball league in the late 1970s when things got out of hand.
"When I was walking out, this fellow who looked like a weightlifter ... came up to me, said something about the call, put his hand out and put it under my chin, put me up against the wall and said something threatening," Dedopoulos recalled.
A criminal defense lawyer for 50-plus years, Dedopoulos went to Dover Police the next day, and the man was arrested for assault.
Under current law, anyone who assaults, threatens or harasses a sports official can be criminally charged, though very few cases have been brought in New Hampshire.
The bill would permit a judge to prohibit a "participant" — player, coach, spectator or administrator — from returning to the playing field or stands following a conviction for a specific time "up until life."
For a first offense, the bill states a judge could not ban someone from the field for more than a year.
Anyone who violated an order and showed up at a game could be fined $1,000 per violation.
"This hits people right between the eyes if they are convicted," Dedopoulos said.
"No, you aren't going to jail or paying a fine. You just aren't going to see your kid play basketball next year — see if it is on the internet."
Like all states, New Hampshire sports leagues struggle to find enough officials. Some New Hampshire schools have adjusted schedules to deal with the shortage.
"I have had to umpire sub-varsity level games all by myself. It is limiting the options for sports leagues at every level," said Kevin Flynn with the New Hampshire Baseball Umpires Association.
Nationally, an estimated 50,000 sports officials have left the field, many citing the growing unrest they face while making their calls.
"They act as if state laws do not apply within the confines of a ballfield or a gymnasium, that unwanted contact or threats of violence are just part of the game," Flynn said. "We maintain assault is assault, and criminal threatening is criminal threatening."
In 2020, a youth hockey coach with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs was fired after he was caught on video punching a referee during a game with 11- and 12-year-old players in Kingston, Mass.
22 states protect refs
If the legislation passes, New Hampshire would join 22 other states that have laws specifically written to protect sports officials, he said.
"If the game is not safe for officials, it is not safe for children," Flynn said.
Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, a past youth coach, authored the bill that attracted House and Senate lawmakers from both parties to co-sponsor it.
"These games are becoming a screaming match between the audience and the officials," D'Allesandro said.
The Senate panel recently recommended, 5-0, that the Senate pass the bill.
"While the hundreds of sporting events that take place each week do so without incident, there are, on occasion, crimes committed against sports officials," said Sen. Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst.
Coretta Lee, a veteran basketball, volleyball and football official said her younger son said he would never become an official after watching what she endured.
"My (30-year-old) son does basketball with me, but he won't do some of those games where he thinks there may be harassment," Lee said.
Christopher Lins, a football official, said, "My 19-year-old son got his soccer (ref) patch and he walked away. He didn't want to deal with it anymore."
James Rivers of Concord, a former State House staffer and a softball official who has umpired at national tournaments, said judges should exercise discretion when it comes to banning parents.
"We have to be careful here. If you ban someone from going to the event, you don't want to punish the child. There are a lot of single parents who bring kids to the game and if they act like a fool and they get banned to the game, how is the child going to get there?" Rivers said.
