The Officials’ Corner with Henry Bray – Does yelling at a referee or umpire REALLY help?

May 1st, 2026

How has yelling at a referee or umpire ever actually made a situation better?

Yes, officials need better training, more oversight, and greater accountability. That’s a fair conversation. But what does yelling at them accomplish in the moment?

From my experience around youth sports, it doesn’t improve the game. If anything, it just gives adults a way to vent frustration and cope with what’s happening on the field. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve had moments where I’ve lost my cool and said things I regretted almost immediately. But not once did those outbursts positively impact the game.

These games can get emotional. We invest time, energy, and money so our kids can play. But we have to remember something important: they’re watching us.

How we respond to bad calls, how we treat officials, and the level of respect we show, or don’t show, is exactly what our kids learn is acceptable behavior toward authority and others.

We always tell our kids to focus on what they can control. And they’re right to do that. We can’t control the training or accountability of officials, especially in the heat of the moment. But we can control ourselves. We can choose how we respond.

Yelling at referees doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t change the call. It doesn’t improve the game. It just sets the wrong example.

So maybe the better question isn’t “why are they missing calls? “It’s: how are we choosing to respond when they do?”

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