Major League umpires are making a statement against the commissioner’s office by wearing white wristbands during games.
According to a statement issued by the World Umpires Association, the issue stems from the league’s response to recent criticism from Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler. Kinsler criticized umpire Angel Hernandez harshly but was only fined for his public comments, which rubbed Hernandez’s fellow umpires the wrong way.
The response is to wear white wristbands in response to “escalating attacks” on umpires until the commissioner addresses their concerns.
Here’s a look at Joe West wearing a wristband:
Umpire Joe West before taking the field today wearing white wrist band to protest escalating verbal attacks on MLB umpires! pic.twitter.com/a8TkW2JCip
— MLB World Umpires (@MLBaseballUmps) August 19, 2017
And a statement from the WUA:
#WUA issued the following statement in response to escalating verbal attacks: pic.twitter.com/wGLIoLOUq0
— MLB World Umpires (@MLBaseballUmps) August 19, 2017
Many would argue that umpires get off fairly easily. They have free reign to discipline players as they see fit during games, and if they are held accountable for bad calls or overreactions, it is not done so publicly, giving the public illusion that they are, essentially, untouchable. It is fair for the umpires to argue that Kinsler’s punishment was lenient, particularly in light of the fact that one umpire actually was suspended for being publicly critical of a player. That said, the overall complaint — that umpires are unfairly and overly criticized — seems a bit oversensitive, as there doesn’t appear to be a whole lot of evidence that umps are facing any more heat than they always have. The criticisms of Hernandez, in particular, are not new — and are often warranted.
