BASEBALL UMPIRE

ORGANIZATIONS

National Association of Sports Officials (NASO)
2017 Lathrop Avenue
Racine, WI 53405
(262) 632-5448
e-mail: cservice@naso.org
Web site: http://www.naso.org/
NASO is a national organization for sports officials from all levels and all sports. Their Web site offers all kinds of information on getting started in sports officiating and has links to local and national associations.

National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHA)
690 Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 972-6900
Web site: http://www.nfhs.orgM
Contact the NFSHA for information on officiating high school baseball games.

The Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC)
P.O. Box A
St. Petersburg, FL 33731
(727) 822-6937
Web site: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/
The PBUC trains and evaluates all umpires in the Minor League Baseball system in the United States and Canada. They decide who will advance within the minor league and who will move up to the major leagues.

SCHOOLS

Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring
12741 Research Boulevard, Suite 401
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 335-5959
e-mail: jimsacademy@earthlink.net
Web site: http://www.umpireacademy.com
This is one of two professional umpire schools.

Wendelstedt Umpire School
88 South St. Andrews Drive
Ormond Beach, FL 32174
(386) 672-4879
e-mail: umpsch@aol.com
Web site: http://www.umpireschool.com
This is one of two professional umpire schools.

WEB SITES

Baseball Umpires
http://www.baseballumpires.com
This is a Web site for professional umpires with links to official rules of the game, FAQs, a newsletter, and links to other sites.

Major League Baseball.com
http://www2.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/mlb_umpires.jsp
The umpire section of the Major League Baseball site has information on rules of the game, biographies of current major league umpires, and interesting articles. Be sure to check out the overview of how to become an umpire.

National Association of Sports Officials (NASO): Becoming a Sports Official
http://www.naso.org/BeOfficial/bofficial.htm
This branch of the NASO site gives you information about what being a sports official is like and tells you how to get started in your career.

Referee
http://www.referee.com/
The online version of Referee magazine offers some articles and tips from recent issues. Also look for the link to the Sports Officiating Resource Center for Education (SORCE) that offers a catalog of books and videos on officiating.

BOOKS

Field, Shelly. Career Opportunities in the Sports Industry. 2nd ed. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999.
This book provides advice for becoming an umpire as well as information on other careers in sports.

Savage, Jim. A Career in Professional Sports. Minneapolis, MN: Capstone Press, 1996.
Includes descriptions of careers relating to sports, including athlete, coach, official, marketing, and team management.

PERIODICALS

Referee
P.O. Box 161
Franksville, WI 53126
(262) 632-8855
e-mail: questions@referee.com
Web site: http://www.referee.com/
Referee magazine is written by and for sports officials and offers articles, tips, and information on training. Check out their Web site for subscription information and some articles from recent issues.

VIDEOS

You Have to Love It When They Boo!
This twelve-minute video shows you what the life of an official is like. It is available from the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) Web site (www.naso.org), by phone (800-733-6100), fax (262-632-5460) or e-mail (naso@naso.org).