If you haven´t noticed, there has been a big problem with the decline of officials and referees. Things like games getting postponed, or even canceled. Youth games are also having such bad of a decline that Junior Varsity and Varsity coaches are asking high school student-athletes if they are willing to ref for the youth games, which yes, would help the middle schoolers/youth group with being able to play lacrosse and other sports and still be able to have games. Still, it would also take up time for those high school students who also have practice, games, and homework from school, as well as having to take time off from a job. I have been asked if I would be willing to referee youth lacrosse games, which of course I was willing to know how excited I was when I would have a game and know it wouldn’t be canceled because there weren’t enough refs. People all over the globe are struggling with this issue because there aren´t enough refs. This lets young students down; knowing the game they were so excited about got canceled. There are also safety issues with things like the lack of experienced referees compromises the enforcement of game rules, increasing the risk of injuries. There is a very easy way to fix the overall feelings of refs and save all the sports from having to end. It’s as simple as the fans being fans, and the refs or officials being refs or officials. If we could do simple things like having a zero-tolerance policy, or things like improving the pay grade or working conditions. Across the United States, there has been a sharp decline in the number of referees for women’s lacrosse in recent years. According to a report by US Lacrosse, the governing body for the sport, over 60% of referees in the sport are over the age of 50. Younger referees are not entering the profession at the same rate as they are in other sports, leaving a gaping hole in the officiating ranks. This shows there is a terrible decrease in women’s lacrosse, which is a big deal to me because I play women’s lacrosse, and I wake up at 04:30 for practice to get ready for games, which I am worried won’t happen due to the decrease in referees. Just imagine being a high school athlete getting ready for games like football, lacrosse, baseball and softball, and other sports, and playing your hardest on a field surrounded by supporters and fans who you think will always want what’s best for you but will tell refs or officials what they are doing wrong instead of supporting you, they are bringing you down by making the refs want to quit, or knowing the officiating is subpar, inconsistent, or non-existent. Imagine being a coach, having spent countless hours preparing your team and making your team know the game plan, only to face the challenge of trying to guide players through a game without the fairness and structure that qualified referees provide. The frustration is so intense its like you cant breathe; also like the sense of injustice, deeply felt.