The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is proud to announce a new partnership with Officially Human, an organization whose mission is to “restore respect to game officials and recognize them as authorities on the fields and courts.”
“We are excited to be partnering with Officially Human,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “A survey of IHSA Officials in 2023 showed that the prevailing reason officials leave the vocation is due to the poor sportsmanship shown to officials. To ensure there are enough officials to cover the games that over 400,000 high school students in Illinois annually participate in, it’s obvious that more needs to be done. It’s our hope that this partnership with Officially Human will be a key component in this turnaround.”
Officially Human was founded by Brenda Hilton, who has spent over 23 years in college athletics working with sports officials from the mid-majors to the highest level of Division I. The Lombard, Illinois-based organization was founded in 2019 to restore respect to, and positive treatment of, sport officials through increased education and communication to all stakeholders (administrators, coaches, athletes, and fans). Officially Human is the leader in addressing the growing crisis in officiating that touches every sport, official, and level of competition. Officially Human offers tailored solutions to athletic host organizations of all sizes that improve the stakeholder experience at each of their sporting competitions. The comprehensive solutions package includes digital education, awareness building, event host communication strategies, and organizational support in addressing poor fan behavior.
“I am thrilled with this partnership for many reasons, one being that Illinois is my home state,” said Hilton. “Having the opportunity for Officially Human to work side-by-side with the IHSA is very meaningful. Together, we are stronger, and we will continue to lead the charge both in Illinois and nationally, raising awareness and improving the treatment of sports officials. We appreciate the IHSA showing the officiating community that they care about them and want to help solve this crisis.”
For the 2022-23 school year, the Illinois High School Association distributed approximately 18,000 licenses to over 11,000 individuals, representing a significant increase from the previous year. However, retaining officials is just as important as recruiting them, and helping all officials experience success in the space leads to the retention needed. In a survey to all IHSA licensed officials in early 2023, 45% precent of the respondents indicated the primary reason they most enjoy officiating is the opportunity to “give back”. In the same survey, though, 62% percent said “sportsmanship of participants/fan behavior” is the greatest challenge officials face.
“Officials are humans too, and I think people lose sight of that sometimes,” said IHSA Associate Executive Director Kurt Gibson, who oversees the IHSA Officials Department. “Officials have careers, live in the same communities, attend the same churches, shop at the same stores, and eat at the same restaurants as others. Treating officials with the same respect, whether out in the community or on the court, field, pitch, pool, track, diamond, etc., as any other community member is something we should all be able to do. This elevation of respect towards officials can, and needs to, start at the individual level.”
As the IHSA officiating survey results show, officials, by nature, are giving individuals, but they feel the increasing negative behavior exhibited at high school sporting events is not worth remaining in the officiating community. ‘Elevating Respect’ by both players, coaches, fans – and officials – is necessary, and Officially Human has a number of available resources all those groups would benefit from viewing at www.officiallyhuman.com.
“Officially Human is committed to restoring respect to game officials, and we are proud to partner with them,” said Gibson. “Together, I believe we can ‘elevate respect’ in the athletic space and bring about greater synergy in the high school athletic community.”
The IHSA plans a number of action items surrounding its partnership with Officially Human. IHSA Officials and member schools will be granted access to the “Elevate Respect” program at no cost, and member schools will be encouraged to share the program with students and fans alike each season. IHSA and Officially Human will also work together to recognize and support officials during the regular and post season on social media and at IHSA state finals events and look to recognize teams and fan bases that exhibit the highest levels of behavior and sportsmanship throughout the year.
“Everyone has a part to play in making interscholastic athletics the successful laboratory it is,” said Anderson. “High school sports teach untold skills that participants use throughout life, and it’s the lessons learned while participating with peers that shape lives. Victory and defeat are two of those lessons, but learning how to handle both of those outcomes is the greater goal.”