CONCORD, NH – The New Hampshire Legislature passed a bill Thursday that would introduce new penalties for people who harass or assault sports officials during games.
Fans, players or coaches convicted of certain offenses against officials may be banned from participating in amateur or professional sporting events for a specified period. Repeated violations could lead to a lifetime ban, the legislation says.
The bill defines a “sports official” as anyone who enforces the rules at a sporting event, regardless of whether he or she is paid or a volunteer.
‘People can get overly excited’
Bill sponsor Sen. Lou D’Allesandro said the new rules will protect officials, players and the games themselves.
The Manchester Democrat said in a statement that “people can become overly irritated and frustrated while participating in or watching these sports, and often those reactions can be directed at our sports officials.”
The bill says a first-offense ban for someone convicted of assaulting a sports official should last no longer than one year. Those who violate the ban could be prosecuted for criminal contempt and fined $1,000 per violation.
Laws against official abuse in sports in other states
New Hampshire wouldn’t be the first state to have legislation specifically protecting umpires and umpires. Other states that have enacted laws in this area include California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, MinnesotaNew Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texel.
Massachusetts has also seen issues with abuse toward sports officials. A secondary school shortage of referees last fall created a logistical nightmare for athletic directors and forced some communities to hold varsity football games on Thursday nights.
Richard Pearson, associate director of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, told WBZ-TV that the shortage was mainly due to poor behavior from parents and fans.
“We have a number of lawsuits involving abuse by fans, parents and the like,” he said. “So it’s difficult to get people to come here and officiate the match.”
