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sports
November 15, 2023
Nationwide School Sports Referee Shortage
By Rodney Haltom sports EDITOR,

School sports associations throughout the country are losing thousands of referees, no matter the level or sport. In a February 2022 report, the National Federation of State High School Associations found that more than 50,000 sports officials had left the profession since the 2018-19 season.

“We have seen a steady decline in the number of sports officials over the past 15 years, but Covid really accelerated that decline,” said Bobby Kelley, President of the Oklahoma Association of Sports Officials (OASO) for the past eight years.

The problem is so bad it could soon limit junior high and junior varsity games. Oklahoma’s governing body for high school sports, the OSSAA, is also concerned at the lack of interest in officiating. “For what they are paid, a lot of them just don’t feel like it’s worth it,” according to OSSAA director David Jackson.

The pay is a problem. Referees make modest money, especially for sub-varsity and junior high games. It varies depending on the sport, from about $50 to $100 a game.

But, much of the blame also rests on the fans and an unsportsmanlike attitude that filters down to the players.

The Tulsa Metro Umpires Association has lost over 25 percent of their members since last year. The OSSAA and Oklahoma school districts are working with their administrators and coaches to talk to fans and players about sportsmanship.

In Illinois, the Illinois High School Association lost more than 2,700 officials between 2016 and 2022, according to NPR Illinois.

A large number of Officials for youth sports are being driven out of the job by belligerent fans, parents and some coaches.

A survey conducted by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) found that behavioral issues with participants and fans were the biggest challenge to referees “by an overwhelming margin,” Gibson said. IHSA believes this is the primary reason why people are steering clear of officiating, he said, though he was not sure specifically why fans seem to be more upset.

Most studies show that the decline began nearly ten years ago. With nationwide incidents like the shooting at a Texas football game where a coach was shot because the parents thought his son wasn’t getting enough playing time, officials are stepping back from the job all together.

Residents who are interested in becoming a high school sports official must register with the OSSAA through their website. The process usually requires an annual meeting and a rules test before you can start.

Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
A: Main, news
Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
Long before Route 66, there was the Jefferson Highway. Route 66 was a federally funded, 2,448-mile highway that crossed the country going east and west from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, Californ...
A: Main, news
Jacob Foos re-hired as Eufaula City Manager
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
It was a surprise hire, but not a total surprise as former Eufaula City Manager Jacob Foos was rehired as Eufaula’s city manager. The hiring took place following an executive session at a special meet...
A: Main, news
Complications of finding a city manager
June 11, 2025
Jeb Jones resigned as city manager in April. He was hired in 2022 to replace Jacob Foos, who had resigned months earlier and became assistant city manager in the City of Shawnee. Andrea Weckmuel-ler B...
A: Main, news
LEA Poker Run Saturday
June 11, 2025
The Golden Eagle Poker Run, one of the most popular events on Lake Eufaula, is Saturday, June 14. This year’s theme is Pirates & Parrots, so get your crew and costumes ready for a day of high seas adv...
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
A: Main, news
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
June 11, 2025
The Oklahoma Press Association presented its Better Newspaper Contest Awards during the OPA Annual convention June 6-7, at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee. The top award a newspaper can r...
A: Main, news
Commissioners getting an increase in road spending
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
Rep. Tim Turner, R-Kinta, announced some good news and some bad news at the Monday morning Monthly County Commissioner meeting. First, the bad news, at least for those who oppose wind turbines in the ...
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Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
A: Main, news
Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently honored the late veteran William “Bill” Antrum Fox Jr. by naming a bridge after him. The William A. Fox Jr. Memorial Bridge is on SH 9 East at Nine M...
A: Main, news
Ten Mile Yard Sale this weekend
June 11, 2025
Bring an umbrella Bargain hunters set your alarms. The annual 10-milelong yard sale begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, stretching from the east end of Eufaula, down SH 9 east through Longtown and past Enterpris...
Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
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Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
June 11, 2025
Two Muskogee men charged with killing a Eufaula resident were ordered to appear at a preliminary hearing in district court at 10 a.m., Thursday, July 3. Suspects Kyren Omari Boulware, 19, and Michael ...
2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
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2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
June 11, 2025
Two people from Marshall, Texas were killed, and four others were injured in a harrowing four-vehicle pileup on U.S. 69 half a mile south of the Muskogee City Limits at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday, June...
Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
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Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
June 11, 2025
Managing Editor Jerry Fink of The Eufaula Indian Journal and the McIntosh County Democrat was inducted into the Oklahoma Press Association Half Century Club on Saturday, June 7 at the Grand in Shawnee...
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