INDIANAPOLIS – Angry fans who as much as poke a referee could face jail time if Indiana joins a growing number of states moving to protect sports officials.
Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, wants to dampen what he and others say is a growing threat of violence at athletic events.
He has filed a measure that ups the penalty for battery committed against a certified official for any sport, from Little League baseball to Colts games in Indianapolis. Fans, players, or coaches can face up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.
“It’s getting very aggressive out there,” said Alting, an avid fan and former high school basketball star who played on the 1974 Jefferson High School team that went to the state finals.
“I won’t say that officials are scared to death, but they’re greatly concerned," he said.
Alting sponsored the bill after being approached by high school referees who say they feel increasingly threatened, especially by parents infuriated over a bad call, he said.
Dave Mecklenburg, a referee who has officiated at high school football games around the state for more than 25 years, said the situation has grown worse.
“I’ve had people come out of the stands, threatening to go after me,” he said.
Trent Johnson, a member of the Western Indiana Officials Association, echoed those concerns. He, like other officials, often leaves games with a police escort.
“I had parents F-bombing me from the stands, then follow me out to my car,” Johnson said.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association, which endorses the measure, said aggressive behavior by fans, parents and players has made it tougher to recruit qualified officials. It hopes tougher penalties will have a chilling effect on bad behavior.
“Those officials are sometimes put in dangerous situations,” said Sandra Walter, assistant commissioner for the association. “Whether we like it or not, sports events are places were some perspective is lost.”
A high-profile incident in Texas last September, involving two San Antonio high school players who intentionally tackled a referee during a game, focused attention on the issue.
Walter said the association was concerned about the increased risk of threats before that.
Two years ago, it mandated that all game officials report every incident in which a player, coach or fan is ejected from a venue for unsportsmanlike behavior, including threats of violence.
The group doesn’t disclose how many reports it receives, said Walter, but incidents started to decrease once reporting went into effect.
Nearly two-dozen states have toughened penalties for assaults on referees, according to the National Association of Sports Officials, a Wisconsin-based group that’s been advocating for those laws since 1984.
Some states are more aggressive than others. Alabama makes it a crime to “harass” or “menace” a sports official. In Delaware, someone who abuses an official can be charged with terrorist threatening.
Laws already on the books in Indiana make it illegal to assault someone. Alting’s bill expands penalties for battery that involves a sports official, putting it on par with battery against a police officer.
In Indiana, battery is defined as knowingly or intentionally touching another person in a “rude, insolent, or angry manner.”
It doesn't have to result in injury. A person can be charged with battery for poking a finger in someone’s chest or throwing a ball – or a bottle - at someone else.
Alting hopes his bill gets a lot of attention, and serves as a deterrent.
“When I played ball, officials were treated like police officers. No one would dare disrespect them,” he said. “You watch a game today, and you see how officials are treated with disrespect.”