In this youth baseball league, fans who mistreat umpires are sentenced to do the job themselves

KIFI

Published June 8, 2023 10:15 PM

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

DEPTFORD, N.J. (AP) — Baseball is steeped in the tradition of fans wanting to jeer the umpire. One Little League in New Jersey is taking a more hands-on approach. It’s trying to curb the appetite among the crowd watching 10- and 11-year-olds play baseball who curse at the unpaid volunteers behind the plate. The fans could become the umpires if they won’t follow league rules on sportsmanship. Outbursts of bad behavior at sporting events for young people have had frightening consequences for officials at all youth levels. The Deptford Little League is hoping its solution is a preventative one.

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