Written By Noah Katz
Being an umpire for baseball is a fantastic part-time opportunity. When I was 16, I began umpiring at the very little league where I once played. Unlike my peers who were busy with restaurant or convenience store jobs, I was on the baseball field, thoroughly enjoying my role, and earning $50 for every game.
Juggling a hectic high school and college schedule, I found umpiring to be the perfect part-time job. Interestingly, when discussing our jobs with friends, I discovered that many, even those passionate about baseball, were unaware they could take up umpiring. Meanwhile, the little league I served and others nationwide grappled with a significant shortage of umpires. This led to the cancellation of thousands of games due to the lack of available umpires. While I managed to convince a handful of friends to join the league as umpires, the shortage persisted. Hence, a year ago, armed with my iPhone and accompanied by my 13-year-old brother, I revisited that familiar little league field. I shot a 30-second video emphasizing how umpiring is a lucrative part-time job that offers both fulfillment and joy, all while being immersed in baseball. This clip garnered 300,000 views, paving the way for The Umpire Channel.
Today, The Umpire Channel stands as the premier destination for all things related to umpiring, boasting 120,000 followers and over 50 million views across various social media channels. My journey has allowed me to collaborate with umpires globally, ranging from Little League to the MLB, echoing the same sentiment: umpiring is a fantastic part-time job.
As The Umpire Channel keeps expanding and aims to alleviate the global umpire shortage, we're thrilled to collaborate with Refr Sports. Their software platform provides a solution to the current logistical challenges faced in the umpiring and refereeing scheduling process. Together, we aspire to shine a light on the incredible world of umpiring, with the ultimate goal of resolving the umpire shortage once and for all.
