Solutions to Football Umpire Injuries

We spend a lot of time talking about injury prevention for baseball and softball umpires who work behind the plate. We put them in gear that is meant to protect them as much as possible and reasonable, from head-to-toe, much like a hockey goalie.

Besides that role, the next most dangerous spot in all of officiating is not as a base umpire dodging line drives but as a football umpire who stands behind a football defensive line (American football for you global readers), unprotected, virtually in the middle of the defensive side of the ball, a ball that is converging in that downfield direction usually carried by a faster running back or receiver and typically followed by meatier players in hot pursuit.

My apologies to officials ahead of time in other sports (boxing, mixed martial arts, roller derby, etc) who might feel their position in their sport is more dangerous. And BTW - please do disagree as we'd like to hear your thoughts.

Sure football umpires don't have a fastball with 2,400 lbs of force being heaved in your direction, but the umpires of the football variety don't have the benefit of predictability. With them, the quarterback does not relay the play to them as a courtesy heads-up.

Maybe it's a slant across the middle, a dive run up the middle, or maybe even a fake dive then a throw at which point the umpire has to rely on his visual and reactionary skills in the same way a player does to move into the best position and/or stay out of the way. Or maybe all of a sudden a runner changes field suddenly and heads right in the direction of what is most likely to be a slower official, one who if you're not Ed Hochuli, is also going to be less muscular and even older....also one that has a day job that would be impossible to do if one were in the shape of a pancake.

A recent Referee Magazine article cited statistics shared by the NFL that umpires were knocked down more than 100 times in 2009 resulting in 2 concussions and three knee and shoulder surgeries.

Has anyone at other levels been injured as a football umpire? Perhaps we see more knock-downs in the NFL because of television and ESPN, and ones that result in more injuries because of the speed and mass of players at that level as opposed to others. You tell me. I'm just facilitating the discussion.

So what is the solution (if indeed even one is needed at your level)?

• PROTECTIVE GEAR
  Do you outfit football umpires with some protective gear such as helmets, chest protectors and shin guards? Don't write any of that off too quickly. "Who could move with all that stuff on, you ask?" Well, hockey officials wear shin guards and helmets/face shields and they have to skate fluidly around an ice rink. So it's not a foreign concept to the world of officiating.
  
  Indeed, The NFL this year considered outfitting its umpires with helmets and flak jackets, but it was rejected.* Perhaps one of the reasons one might object is that none of the above is going to prevent the kind of knee or shoulder injuries just mentioned.
  
  But something for the head? Such as a hockey style face shield? Could that be a consideration for concussion prevention? I think it's worthy of at least discussing. Maybe even a mouthguard for teeth protection...all food for thought.
  
  
• STEEL TOE SHOES
  I have heard of officials who wear steel toe shoes to prevent injuries from cleats as they simply get stepped on often. Should this be a general recommendation to all football umpires? If so, what would work? Baseball plate shoes or something entirely different?
  
  
• POSITIONING
  What the NFL did decide to do in terms of injury prevention for 2010 was to move the umpire from the defensive side of the ball to the offensive side with the same responsibilities and that seems to be getting a good response...at least so far. I'm sure college and high school level decision makers will watch the NFL development carefully to determine if changes need to be made at their level in due time.
  
  Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one as we also recently discussed in a blog post on where you stand as a baseball umpire for maximum protection that received several comments.
  
  
• SOMETHING ELSE
  

Would love your thoughts if you officiate any sport.

*The Referee Magazine article I have cited several times is a good read and is on page 9 of the July 2010 issue entitled "NFL Moves Umpire to Offensive Side" or read the news article of NFL - ESPN titled: "NFL will move umpires to offensive backfield."