Verbal abuse blamed for decline in number of officials

High school sports umpires, referees and officials on Long Island are being targeted for verbal abuse as never before by parents, spectators and coaches. This has led to a decline in their ranks, more than two dozen coaches, referees, umpires and school administrators said in interviews. Credit: Newsday / Casey Musarra, Yeong-Ung Yang; Patrick McCarthy/Casey Musarra, Yeong-Ung Yang; Patrick McCarthy