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The uptick in abuse against umpires and referees in youth sports has had a dramatic impact. There is a nationwide umpire shortage. Many umpires retired during the pandemic, but others have just had enough.

"It's very sad to see because it takes away from the game. The kids — it's something that they shouldn't have to see. Because now that's something that they think is okay," said Carl Kearney, a 21-year veteran umpire in New Jersey.

Since 2017, the number of baseball and softball umpires in the Babe Ruth youth baseball and softball league has been on the decline — with 6,229 in 2017 falling to 4,995 in 2022, according to the National Umpire Association. Between 2018 and 2022, youth sports lost nearly 20,000 umpires at the high school level, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

"The kids are the victim of their parents' actions. The kids don't like it. They're totally embarrassed," said John Dugan, president of Ramsey Baseball and Softball Association in Ramsey, New Jersey.

Dugan says he's never had a physical altercation between an umpire and a parent at one of his games — but situations have gotten heated. He's had to step in between a parent and an umpire and has suspended parents up to several games to the entire season for bad behavior.