Time for some lax dads to shut up and sit down - guest commentary

by John Weaver of E-lacrosse and the Baltimore Sun

Covering a D3 game recently, I was appalled by the behavior of about five or six of the home team players’ fathers toward the officials. It is not the first time this year I have encountered such conduct, and the identity of this particular school is not important. I took particular notice this time because it was so out of place in the otherwise perfect lacrosse environment. Unfortunately, I am constantly editing E-Lacrosse video to eliminate loud and nasty jeering by a parent or group of parents. I can tell it’s getting worse.

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(Laxtown note: John is right on with his assessment, as we've seen similar actions at all levels of New Jersey lacrosse from youth to college. If you think you know the game as well as the officials, why don't you become an official? Some perspective: In NJ there are roughly 4000 games at the high school level in the Spring, and there are roughly 400 certified officials to cover these games. 4000 games x 2 officials per game = 8000 slots to fill. Of those 400 certified officials, maybe 200 have any kind of availability to work a full schedule and get to 4:00pm starts. These numbers don't include college and youth games in the state.

As the sport continues to grow these numbers will only get more out of whack. Seriously, if you think you know the game and you want to support its growth, become an official. There are classes offered in the fall/winter, and you can find more information at the NJILOA website.)