Simone Lawson
Sports officials are people who enforce the rules at sports events, such as umpires or referees, or supervise participants, such as coaches. In the US, there are 23 states that have officiating assault and/or harassment laws, 17 with limited liability legislation and 15 with independent contractor laws. The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) emerged in 1980 because of concerns that sports officials weren't being heard or respected. NASO provides members with insurance protection and covers defence costs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of states with laws specifically written to protect sports officials | 21 |
| Number of states with misdemeanour charges | 11 |
| Number of states with misdemeanour and felony charges | 5 |
| Number of states with resolutions in support of sports officials | 2 |
| Number of states with officiating assault and/or harassment laws | 23 |
| Number of states with criminal laws | 21 |
| Number of states with civil statutes | 2 |
| Number of states with limited liability legislation | 17 |
| Number of states with independent contractor laws | 15 |
| Number of members of the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) | 26,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Legislation defining assaults on sports officials as crimes
Sports officials are protected by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), which emerged in 1980 due to concerns that sports officials weren't being heard or respected enough for their commitment to sports. NASO has over 26,000 members and provides insurance protection, covering alleged officiating-related errors and decisions made as an assigner. It also covers sports that other insurance plans might not, such as boxing, wrestling and rowing.
In addition to this, there are 23 states that have officiating assault and/or harassment laws, with 21 of these states charging offenders with misdemeanours and five having felony charges, depending on the severity of the assault. Idaho and Washington have also passed resolutions in support of sports officials.
The scope of state legislation varies, but sports officials should be able to perform their duties without the threat of personal injury, administrative hearings or litigation because of their game calls.
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Misdemeanour charges
Sports officials are protected by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), which emerged in 1980 due to concerns that sports officials weren't being heard or respected for their commitment to sports. NASO provides its members with insurance protection, covering alleged officiating-related errors during normal officiating activities and decisions made as an assigner. This includes boxing, wrestling and rowing, which are not covered by other organisations' insurance plans.
NASO also provides defence costs in addition to policy limits. The organisation's S.O.S. programme helps members before anyone brings a lawsuit against them.
There are 23 states that have officiating assault and/or harassment laws, with 21 of these having criminal laws and two civil statutes. Eleven states charge offenders with misdemeanours, and five have misdemeanour and felony charges, depending on the severity of the assault.
The scope of state legislation varies, but sports officials should be able to perform their duties without the threat of personal injury, administrative hearings or litigation because of their game calls.
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Felony charges
Sports officials are protected by legislation in certain states. There are 23 states that have officiating assault and/or harassment laws (including 21 with criminal laws and two with civil statutes), 17 with limited liability legislation and 15 states with independent contractor laws.
Five states have laws that allow for felony charges to be brought against offenders, depending on the severity of the assault. The scope of state legislation varies, but sports officials should be able to perform their duties without threat of personal injury, administrative hearings or litigation because of their game calls.
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Insurance plans
Sports officials are protected by legislation in some states, but this varies. Twenty-three states have officiating assault and/or harassment laws (including 21 with criminal laws and two with civil statutes), 17 have limited liability legislation and 15 have independent contractor laws. However, New York is not one of these states.
The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) emerged in 1980 due to concerns that sports officials weren't being heard or respected. It now has nearly 26,000 members and provides insurance protection. NASO's insurance plan covers alleged officiating-related errors during normal officiating activities and decisions made as an assigner. It also covers officials in all sports, including boxing, wrestling and rowing, and extends to other officiating-related activities such as assigning or working as an officiating camp clinician. NASO's S.O.S. program also helps members before anyone brings a lawsuit against them.
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Support from the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO)
The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) emerged in 1980 due to concerns that sports officials weren't being heard or respected for their commitment to sports. NASO advocates for officials and provides members with insurance protection. This insurance covers alleged officiating-related errors during normal officiating activities and decisions made as an assigner. It also covers officiating-related activities such as assigning or working as an officiating camp clinician. NASO's S.O.S. program starts helping members before anyone ever brings a lawsuit against them.
NASO has also been bringing attention to assault/harassment, liability and independent contractor issues for years. There are currently 23 states that have officiating assault and/or harassment laws (including 21 with criminal laws and two with civil statutes), 17 with limited liability legislation and 15 states with independent contractor laws. NASO provides a map, updated for 2024, which displays the states that have passed laws dealing with those issues.
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Frequently asked questions
A sports official is a person at a sports event who enforces the rules of the event, such as an umpire or referee, or a person who supervises the participants, such as a coach.
There are 21 states with laws specifically written to protect sports officials, though New York isn't one of them.
Eleven states charge offenders with misdemeanours, and five states have misdemeanour and felony charges, depending on the severity of the assault.
The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) provides its members with insurance protection, which covers alleged officiating-related errors during normal officiating activities and decisions made as an assigner.
NASO also publishes *Referee* magazine, which is written by sports officials for sports officials. The magazine covers the officiating industry and explores the rules, mechanics and philosophy of officiating.
