DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) — A new bill in the state legislature would make it a crime to harass or intimidate youth sports officials.
“There’s been a concern about escalating threats [against] sports officials,” tate Senator Andre Jacque of De Pere, one of the sponsors of the bill, told WTAQ. ” And it’s really had a detrimental effect on people going into being a referee.”
LRB 4781 creates a new crime in Wisconsin: harassment and intimidation of a sports official. Statistics say as many as 13% of sports officials have been assaulted by either a fan, coach, or player.
“About half of all sports officials, of both genders, have felt unsafe at some point,” Jacque said. “It raises awareness that there can be repercussions for taking things too far.”
24 other states have similar legislation.
