If little league parents in Deptford Township, N.J. have issues with the umpires, they will have to step on the diamond and make the calls themselves. The Deptford Township Little League has implemented a new policy that any spectator who argues with an umpire must serve as a volunteer ump for three games, per a report from WPVI-TV.
With several umpires quitting after receiving verbal abuse from a small number of parents, league president Don Bozzuffi knew something had to change. This season, if a spectator argues with an umpire, they will be barred from attending games as a fan until they serve as an umpire for three games.
"The main purpose is not for them to be able to call a baseball game, but for them to see what's going on out here and it's not that easy," Bozzuffi told WPVI-TV.
The policy is also meant to serve as a reminder that little league isn't just about winning. Parents who abuse umpires often lose sight of the fact that they aren't at an MLB game.
"They're not baseball players, they're children. So always keep that in the back of your mind and let them play," Bozzuffi said.
Those parents who do cross the line and find themselves on mandatory umpire duty will have a trained umpire with them when they serve their penance. Hopefully, the new policy does its job and keeps the list of spectators-turned-umpires relatively low.
