New Texas Law Gives Officials More Authority As Local Football Season Begins

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY — As local football teams prepare for the first Friday night of the season, fans are entering the second school year under a Texas law that gives game officials more authority to deal with disruptive behavior in the stands.

Senate Bill 2929 allows referees, judges and other game officials to remove spectators whose behavior is considered disruptive or inappropriate. Officials do not have to issue a verbal warning first, and they do not have to wait for the conduct to continue.

The law applies to extracurricular athletic events sponsored or sanctioned by a public school district or the University Interscholastic League. It covers more than football, including volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and other school athletic competitions.

The law does not mean that every disagreement with a call will result in ejection. Fans can still react to a bad call or show emotion during a close game. The distinction is whether that behavior crosses into harassment, threats, personal attacks, profanity directed at officials or athletes, or conduct that disrupts the event.

The change gives officials another tool when a situation becomes serious enough to affect the game or the safety of the people involved.

For local football fans, the rule will be in place from the opening night of the season.

Grapeland and Elkhart will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. in Elkhart, giving the two neighboring programs an opening-night matchup against one another.

Crockett and Lovelady are scheduled to play their first regular-season games Friday, Aug. 28. Crockett will host Mexia at 7:30 p.m., while Lovelady will host Anderson-Shiro at 7:30 p.m.

At those games and every other school athletic event, fans will be expected to support the players without turning their frustration toward officials, opposing teams or other spectators.

The consequences can extend beyond the individual fan who is removed.

Schools and officials’ organizations have warned that repeated spectator-misconduct incidents can threaten a school’s ability to receive officials for future home games. The commonly cited threshold is three reported incidents, after which the Texas Association of Sports Officials may decline to assign officials to a school’s home contests.

That three-incident consequence is separate from the language of SB 2929 itself. The law deals with an official’s authority to remove a spectator, while the possibility of losing home officials comes through the system used to report and respond to misconduct.

For a school district, losing home officials could create significant problems. Games might have to be moved to a neutral site, rescheduled or otherwise rearranged. The impact could include travel costs, lost ticket and concession revenue, and the loss of a home-field or home-court environment for student-athletes.

The rule also places greater responsibility on school communities.

Coaches and players cannot control every person in the stands. Schools can establish expectations, provide event administrators and respond when incidents occur, but fans ultimately decide whether they help create a positive atmosphere or become part of the problem.

A packed stadium or gym can be loud and emotional. That energy is part of what makes school sports important to small communities. But the new law makes clear that officials do not have to allow one spectator’s behavior to take over the event.

Parents and fans attending local games can help protect their school’s ability to host contests by cheering for their own players, respecting officials’ decisions, treating visiting teams properly and responding appropriately when emotions run high.

The goal is not to remove passion from school sports. It is to make sure that passion remains focused on the students competing on the field or court.

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]