Help wanted: High school refs and umps

The number of officials who staff high school sports in Minnesota has steadily declined in recent years, in some cases leaving barely enough officials to cover games.

The drop comes amid concern that sportsmanship issues are making it harder to retain and recruit people and that some younger officials have less patience for putting in the time needed to advance.

After peaking in 2010-11, the number of registered officials fell each year, with all sports but boys’ lacrosse experiencing declines. The Minnesota State High School League had 8,201 registered officials in the 2014-15 school year, down 7.3 percent from four years ago.

http://www.startribune.com/help-wanted-high-school-refs-and-umps/318738151/