Beaufort County is home to all sorts of youth athletic events each summer. This year, Chocowinity is hosting the Babe Ruth eastern North Carolina softball tournament. Washington will be the home of next week’s Tar Heel League district tournament.

A bit higher up the age bracket, there are plenty of summer league and American Legion baseball games that are played right here in Washington, too.

Nationwide, though, there’s a shortage of officials for these games. The National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education has outlined the effect Title IX has had on athletics participation from youth all the way up to the collegiate level. Simply put, numbers are up, but the number of referees hasn’t met the rise in demand.

USA Today outlined the poor retention rates of officials in Houston. The Denver Post noted a similar trend in Colorado.

The most apparent reason behind this epidemic can be observed by anyone who’s ever spectated a sporting event at any level. Referees endure plenty of abuse throughout the course of a single game. In youth and high school sports especially, fans get to sit quite close to the officials. There’s no escaping the jeering from those who don’t agree with a single call.

Referees are compensated for the time they put into calling a game. In a lot of cases, though, it will take a handful of games just to make up the expenses of becoming certified. In an article looking into this matter, New York’s Journal News noted that it costs New York officials more than $100 just to get fingerprinted.

Fans in Beaufort County have shown that they’re capable of treating not just officials, but also coaches and others, in a way that drives them away.

The umpires behind the plate for local baseball and softball games this summer are members of the community. They’re fathers, grandfathers, sons of area coaches and more. They volunteer their time — wearing uniforms that do no favors in the sweltering heat — to make sure local athletes are getting a fair shot at a win each time they come out.

Whether a good strike is miscalled at the plate or a close call on a pickoff goes against the home team, officials aren’t out to get anyone. Beaufort County is lucky to have the dedication it receives from referees. Let’s make sure it stays like that.