Missouri legislators say fans and parents are getting out of hand at sporting events, and it's time to do something to protect referees.
Representative Jerome Barnes started refereeing in his thirties. Later, his teenage sons wanted to try it out, too.
"He had his first game and he came home that day and said, 'Dad, I don't want to do this anymore.' And I said, 'What happened?' And he said, 'Dad, they were pretty rough on me. One followed me to my car, they yelled at me.'"
Barnes' bill would increase the penalty for simple assault on a referee to 4th degree assault. Right now it's a class C misdemeanor. The bill would qualify it as a class A misdemeanor.
Barnes said the Missouri State High School Activities Association has already implemented rules like banning fans from stadiums and more training for referees.
"As a referee, I love a good 'Ref, need your glasses? You missed a call,' or 'This your phone? Looks like you missed a bunch of calls,' that kind of stuff is humor," he said. "But when a person tells you 'I've been waiting outside for you,' that's a threat."
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