Sportsmanship and Subvarsity

By Jack Furlong

Founder/President/CEO

​An umpire colleague of mine once said something regarding the status of how we should approach scholastic baseball games that aren’t varsity (i.e. junior varsity, freshman, middle school):  “Subvarsity games are essentially glorified scrimmages.”
 
The main purpose of this statement is legal.  When enforcing rules and recording results, the outcome of a junior varsity game means absolutely nothing in comparison to the varsity squad.  This allows emphasis to be placed on the development of the young players as well as the up-and-coming umpires who may need more experience.  Further, if a call is incorrect or a rule is applied incorrectly, it becomes a teachable moment rather than an egregious error.
 
From the perspective of the kids playing, it’s also understandable to see how they might play the game from the opposite point of view.  To a young teenager without much life experience, an incorrect call from an umpire might seem like a personal attack worthy of a vehement argument.  This actually works in favor of those trying to make scholastic athletics a true extension of the classroom:  our youth can use these situations to learn about life, especially with the guidance of coaches and parents who can help put the experience into perspective.
 
The real question, then, is about why adults take these games even more seriously than the kids playing them.
 
Anyone who has coached, officiated, or watched a plethora of subvarsity games has undoubtedly seen another adult take the game too seriously, perhaps to the point of being inappropriate.  Instead of being the mentors that our young players might need, the adults perceive these issues as the same personal attacks (if not worse) than how the most serious of young players might.  The example set by these adults has the potential to do much more harm than good, even if the justification is to fight for the team.
 
For example, I recently officiated a junior varsity game as part of my responsibilities to mentor inexperienced officials.  My partner was behind the plate, and my job while working the bases was to watch and observe him, looking for opportunities to provide feedback and suggestions.  Neither of the two teams were exceptionally talented, but that paled in comparison to the personalities of the two head coaches:  one coach took the game way too seriously, while the other couldn’t have cared less.
 
As a result, a lot of my mentoring of the young official dealt with the attitudes displayed by the coaches instead of talking about rules, mechanics, positioning, and other tips that might help him become a better umpire.
 
It makes sense if the kids in these games play too seriously:  they don’t know any better, relatively speaking.  It doesn’t make sense why the adults follow the same path.  The result of that junior varsity game in question will more than likely not affect the personal value and self-worth of the kids.  Yet, the adults treat it as such.
 
One of the best things these adults in question can do is to realize that subvarsity games usually get “subvarsity” officials.  That is, the officials who are young, inexperienced, or simply not of a high-enough quality tend to work these games.  Further, with these attitudes being rampant, it’s easy to see why the number of officials is dwindling.  At this rate, there won’t be umpires to work these games, regardless of quality!
 
Adults in all roles can do one simple thing to make an improvement in these situations:  put the subvarsity games in context.  Play hard, and play to win, but remember reality:  it’s a glorified scrimmage.