Umpires in New York State are sounding the alarm on a scary trend following an alleged fan assault over the weekend.
Carlos Chaluisant, 68, who has umpired for more than two decades, said he had just worked a game in the Binghamton area Sunday when a spectator followed him to the parking lot and struck him because he was angry over Chaluisant’s calls.
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“He approached me, I then tried to defend myself and he kicked me off my feet. I fell on the floor, and he swiped me with his hand on my face,” Chaluisant told 12News.
The veteran arbiter said he went to the emergency room on Monday after experiencing back and head pain. Thankfully, all tests came back clear and he’s on the mend.
Ryan Hastings, the president of the Binghamton Umpires’ Association, says incidents like this are part of an alarming epidemic of bad behavior against umpires nationwide.
“We were concerned for several years that something like this would end up happening at some point,” said Hastings. “We’ve seen videos all over online that this happens across the country on unfortunately a routine basis.”
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This latest report comes in the midst of an ongoing umpire shortage around the country. It’s an issue that has been building for some time, and has been written about extensively, including by CNN in 2023.
“The problem isn’t the money, the problem is the verbal abuse,” said Don Mason, the head of baseball operations for Top Gun Sports and USSSA baseball in North and South Carolina, to Queen City News back in May. “You have a lot of guys say, ‘I don’t care how much you pay me, I’m not going back out there because of fan abuse, coach abuse,’ so on and so forth.”
According to the National Umpire Association, it had 6,229 members in 2017, but that number fell to 4,995 in 2022 for both youth baseball and softball.
That figure isn’t going to go back up either with more occurrences like the one in Binghamton last weekend.
Youth Sports Umpires Warn of ‘Scary’ Growing Trend first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jul 9, 2025
As the largest hunger-relief organization in San Diego County, The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank aids an average of 400,000 people each month and distributes more than 50 million pounds of food per year.
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Purchases 40,000 pounds of fresh produce—enough to nourish over 4,000 households with 10-pound boxes of healthy food each year
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Frosted Faces works to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome senior dogs and cats, offering tailored veterinary treatment and behavioral support and connecting them with families ready to let them live out their golden years in a loving home.
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Faces of Healthcare 2025
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Thomas J. Krum, known to his listeners as ‘John Thomas’ passed away suddenly on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at this home in Johnstown, NY. Born in Kingston, NY on December 15, 1946 he was the son of the late Thomas and Winifred Grube Krum. A graduate of SUNY Ulster, Tom obtained his degree in Business Administration. He also had certifications from the Radio Advertising Bureau and the Career Academy of Broadcasting. Tom had a true love for the game and worked for various local companies including WGY Radio, The Albany- Colonie Yankees, The Albany- Colonie Diamond Dogs, GE/ Empire Broadcasting and The Leader Herald. Tom had extensive experience in sports management and broadcasting. He developed lasting relationships with players, coaches, celebrities and anyone who would talk about the game. Tom served as a Master of Ceremonies and guest speaker at many events. He was inducted into the Glove City Colonials as the first and only broadcaster and was awarded Broadcaster of the Year by The Hearst Newspaper. He had well over 3000 play by play broadcasts and interviews spanning a 40 year career. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Marilyn L. LaPorte Krum; his brother, Robert Krum and his wife Elaine; his stepson, James Reed and his wife Kara; his step-grandson, Jacob Reed and his fiance Sarah Cuscino; and several nephews. Services are private. Cremation arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Rose & Hughes Funeral Home, 200 Church Street, Amsterdam, NY. Please visit the online memorial at www.roseandhughesfh.com In lieu of flowers, and in memory of Tom’s love for the game, consider donating to your favorite local youth sports program or volunteer your time as a coach.
A person holds a transgender flag to show their support for the transgender community during the sixth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance at Maryville College in Nov. 2016, in Maryville, Tenn. (Brianna Bivens/The Daily Times via AP)
Several Maine school districts are sticking with new transgender student policies despite a lawsuit that alleges they violate state law and foster hostile environments in schools.
At a school board meeting Tuesday night, officials at Regional School Unit 24 in Hancock County voted to keep the district’s recently adopted policy barring transgender students from using bathrooms or playing for sports teams that align with their chosen gender.
The RSU 73 school board in Livermore Falls took a similar vote last week to keep its policy.
RSU 24 Superintendent Michael Eastman did not return a request for comment Wednesday but issued a statement saying the decision was made “following an executive session to consult with legal counsel.”
“We recognize that this issue is deeply important to many and continues to evoke strong feelings within our district, our communities and across the state,” Eastman wrote. “As we move ahead with this work, we remain committed to listening, learning and communicating with care.”
School board officials for the district that oversees schools in Sullivan, Eastbrook, Gouldsboro, Prospect Harbor and Steuben also did not make the meeting’s minutes or a recording of the proceedings immediately available online. Parents’ Rights in Education Maine, a conservative activist group, highlighted the vote in a social media post Tuesday night, as did House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, who represents those towns.
To date, six Maine school districts have adopted similar policies following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February that defined gender as one’s “biological sex” and threatened to revoke federal funding from schools allowing transgender students to play sports or use locker rooms in line with their gender identity.
Those districts are being sued by the Maine Human Rights Commission, which alleges the policies discriminate against transgender students and violate state law specifically protecting students’ right to participate in classes and extracurriculars “without discrimination because of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The lawsuit also claims the policies encourage harassment of “students participating in girls’ sports who do not appear to the adults to be biological females.” The lawsuit notes one email in which a community member “expressed their desire that ‘someone make an example out of’ a ‘piece of s— tranny’ in the third grade.”
The others districts named in the suit are Maine School Administration District 70 in Hodgdon, MSAD 52 in Turner, the Baileyville School District and the Richmond School Department.
It remained unclear Wednesday whether those districts will revert their policies or stick to their guns, and representatives from those communities did not respond to inquiries Wednesday.
The Trump administration’s executive order and the districts’ policies hinge on an interpretation of Title IX that argues allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports is a form of discrimination because it deprives women and girls of fair athletic opportunities. That interpretation has yet to be tested in court.
When the issue was raised by RSU 24’s school board at an October meeting, dozens of community members spoke about how the potential policy change and vitriolic discussion around it had affected their students. The board ultimately adopted the policy in a contentious 5-4 vote.
Votes in other districts were not as close, with the exception of Richmond, which adopted its policy in a 3-2 vote in October.
RSU 24 and several other districts had retained Portland-based law firm Drummond Woodsum, which has represented hundreds of Maine school districts for years. But after the firm advised the district to follow state law, district officials voted Tuesday to engage with two conservative firms, Steve Smith Trial Lawyers in Augusta and Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP, based in Indiana.
Transgender students’ participation in youth athletics has become a contentious topic across the country, but especially in Maine. Gov. Janet Mills clashed with Trump over the topic at the White House in February, telling the president: “see you in court.” Shortly afterward, the Department of Justice announced a lawsuit against Maine over the state’s human rights law.
Conservatives in the state have been collecting signatures to put a referendum on the 2026 ballot that could bar transgender students from school sports and private spaces that align with their gender identities. The Maine Principals’ Association has previously said there are two transgender students playing sports in Maine.
Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.
In a perfect world, Extra Points would run on something resembling an editorial calendar. You make the phone calls, file the FOIAs, write the second and third drafts of a story, and then can confidently say, “I’m going to publish something about X on Thursday, Y on Friday, etc.” Since we’re running close to the end of the year, there aren’t many newsletter spaces left. You want to make ’em count.
And then somebody goes out and does something that blows up your schedule. THANKS, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH.
Specific financial details about this transaction — What are the assets and liabilities moving into this new unit? How much cash will Utah get, and when will it get it? How large an ownership stake will Otro Capital hold? — are all TBA. Yes, I’ve filed the GRAMA requests, just like every other sports business publication. Yes, I’ve sent the text messages. As of this moment, I don’t have those answers.
But we know the general gist of the arrangement. Utah will create a new group, Utah Brands & Entertainment LLC, to house much of the athletic department’s revenue generating efforts. Via Yahoo:
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The university retains majority ownership and decision-making authority of Utah Brands & Entertainment. Otro marries the capital infusion with a team of experienced operators. A president from outside the university will preside over the company and report to a board, chaired by Utah athletic director Mark Harlan, with seats for trustees and Otro executives.
The project includes a fascinating wrinkle. The university is offering a prominent group of donors the ability to purchase a stake in Utah Brands & Entertainment. Already, university officials have culled a small donor base to generate millions in purchase agreements. The more than $500 million capital figure includes both the nine-figure cash infusion from Otro as well as those capital commitments from donors.
Utah Brands & Entertainment will house most of the components traditionally held within the university’s athletic department, including many athletic personnel and divisions. However, fundraising will remain with the school.
The new company’s primary goal is to generate more revenue across an assortment of areas, including ticketing, concessions, corporate sales and sponsorships. Charged with overseeing and operating the revenue-share pay system for Utah athletes, the new entity provides the department with more flexibility and freedom considering it will operate separate from a public university
The question I’ve been asked again and again over the past 24 hours — from radio hosts to EP readers to industry professionals — has been: Is this a good idea? And my honest-to-God answer right now would be … I don’t know. I don’t believe I know enough of the nitty-gritty financial specifics to answer that question. I understand why Utah would want to do this. I understand why Otro Capital might want to do it. I can intellectually understand how this could end in 10 years with everybody fat and happy.
But I do have lots of questions.
How much more revenue could Utah athletics hope to reasonably earn?
Part of the stated rationale for this deal is to tap into Otro’s network and expertise. Otro’s whole deal is investing in sports- and entertainment-related firms, and it has existing stakes in an F1 team, a data analytics company (Two Circles) and a youth sports event and marketing company. The thinking goes: Utah could generate even more revenue from stuff like live events, licensing, multimedia and ticketing by working with a firm with deep operational expertise.
Whether that works comes down to execution, but I understand the argument.
But what I’d like to better understand is … let’s say everybody is successful, and Otro helps to meaningfully grow Utah’s new earned revenues. How much is even possible?
Some days, being a working mom in Effingham County feels like I accidentally signed up to be an underpaid chaos coordinator with unlimited overtime. There is no manual and certainly no bonus check. What I do get is a lot of love, a little laughter, and the constant joy of explaining that a Christmas tree cake is not a balanced meal.
Morning madness
Most weekday mornings start with my alarm at 6:20 a.m. I roll out of bed, step over two dogs who sleep like they pay the mortgage, and stumble across the house to wake the pre-teen and teenage gremlins who refuse to rise until the last possible second. Once I hear a few groans that land somewhere between annoyance and mild betrayal, I head back to the kitchen. I pop sausage biscuits in the microwave—no judgment, still slightly better than a Pop-Tart—to feed said gremlins before throwing on an outfit that, I hope, gives the impression of effort and swipe on just enough makeup to say, “I am doing my best. Please do not look too closely.”
On mornings when I set my alarm for a completely disrespectful 4 a.m., the routine shifts to a quiet scavenger hunt in the dark. I fumble for workout clothes, try to remember if I brushed my teeth, and pack myself into the car to teach a one-hour cycle and fitness class to a room full of equally confused adults who also woke before sunrise. There’s something very bonding about sweating together at 5 a.m. while nobody’s brain is fully online yet.
By 6:50 a.m., the house is in full motion. One kid cannot find a shoe. The other cannot find the will to live. Someone suddenly remembers a permission slip due right that second. Then we sprint to the bus stop like competitors in the Effingham Olympics. If your children catch the bus by 7:10 a.m., congratulations—you’ve already worked half a day before most people finish their first cup of coffee.
Work, side hustles, and the commute
Once the bus pulls away, Mom clock number two begins—reserved for actual paying jobs. Effingham moms fall into three groups: moms who work in Effingham, moms who commute outside of Effingham, and God’s favorites who work from home. To the commuters, I say a special prayer for your patience. May your coffee stay hot, and may Highway 21 treat you kindly.
The moms who stay local are not sitting around relaxing. Many of us work full time and then stack a side hustle on top of it. Some even turn hobbies into businesses. I teach fitness on the side because I figured if I’m going to get sweaty anyway, I might as well get paid for it. Effingham moms are a special breed. You have not lived until you’ve watched a woman put in eight hours at her day job, squeeze in an hour of fitness, coach a youth sports team, and still manage to pick up groceries with the speed and accuracy of a NASCAR pit crew.
Evening shuffle
Then comes the evening shuffle. This is rarely a peaceful sit-down dinner. It’s more like rotating shifts based on practice times. Effingham Recreation is wonderful, but I am convinced the practice schedule was created by drawing numbers out of a hat. Soccer at 5, basketball at 6:30, volleyball at 7:45. And of course, someone always forgets a crucial sports accessory that must be delivered immediately, or the world will end.
Dinner is another adventure. The question, “What do you want for dinner?” should honestly be banned from every household. I lean heavily on HelloFresh, which has saved me on nights when my brain is too tired to choose between spaghetti or cereal. On other nights, it turns into “you are on your own,” but Christmas tree cakes still do not count as a meal.
Laundry is always running. The dishwasher is always full. At least one child always needs a very specific shirt washed immediately. Meanwhile, I try to stay upright until at least 8 p.m. The time change, which throws darkness at us at 5:30 p.m., really tests my spirit. Time change and I are not on speaking terms.
Why it’s worth it
Even with all the chaos, raising kids here feels grounding. Effingham has the kind of warmth that makes you feel like you belong. Schools are strong. Teachers actually know your children. Recreation keeps kids active and teaches life lessons about teamwork, sportsmanship, and how to bounce back after taking a volleyball to the face.
Effingham moms juggle a lot, but it is comforting to know we are raising families in a place that feels like home—a place where people wave at each other, neighbors check in, and your child might play ball on the same field you once did.
So here’s to the moms of Effingham County. We may be tired, but we are tough. Resourceful. Funny without trying. And we show up for our families in every way we can. The laundry will always be waiting, but the chaos will not, so we savor these days while we have them.
— Lauren Eargle is a wife, mom of four, Springfield City Manager, and co-owner of Revolution Cycle and Fitness. She juggles city hall, spin classes, and the daily chaos of raising her kids in Effingham County—sometimes all before breakfast.
The Blue Creek Blue Creek Springtime Monarchs (an affiliate of the National Wild Turkey Foundation) is inviting all area youth to its annual JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) Day at the Izaak Walton League facility north of Vinton.
Children age 17 and under are invited to this free event on Saturday, Aug. 13, to enjoy and learn about many activities including hunter’s safety, archery, .22 rifle target practice, trap shooting, and game calling. Lunch and drinks are provided. The first 60 children to register will receive a free Jakes Day t-shirt.
For more information, call Mike Salow at (319) 350-4187 or Randy Scheel at 319-477-3150.
