WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — In the world of sports, officials get a lot of hate — especially in baseball.
Umpires are one of the most ridiculed part of the game. Balls, strikes, out, safe — it’s a never-ending battle between the fans and the ones who make the calls that decide the game.
However, one local umpire out of Williamsburg is hoping to change that narrative, and spending part of his summer with the Savannah Bananas has been a part of it.
“Umpires are humans. They’re kids just like you,” said 20-year-old umpire Noah Katz
Katz grew up playing baseball at the Warhill Sports Complex before making the leap to the varsity scene with Jamestown High School. He never lost his athletic touch after high school, as he’s still competing on the Division III level as a track & cross country runner with Clark University.
Still, Katz wanted more.
“I just loved umpiring from the start,” Katz said. “What started The Umpire Channel was that I love it so much, but I noticed that across the country, there’s an umpire shortage. I went out with my iPhone and my little brother was my cameraman, and I filmed why being an umpire was a great job. That’s when The Umpire Channel was born. We have over 100 million views and 230,000 followers, and have been all over the world promoting umpiring.”
Katz blew up on social media in 2022, and since then, has made pro-umpiring content. It’s been a journey for him highlighted by day-in-the-life vlogs, game experiences, and interviews with players and other umps.
But the coolest experience popped for him at the beginning of the summer, when he got the call to officiate with baseball’s most exciting summer league attraction.
“I got to umpire with the Savannah Bananas in front of 42,000 fans,” Katz said.
In 2023, Katz created video content for the Bananas before making the transition to umpiring for them. He’s had the opportunity to umpire at Nationals Park and Fenway Park. He even got to sign the Green Monster out in Fenway’s left field.
“That’s every kids dream when they grow up is to play or be on the field of Fenway Park,” Katz said. “It’s such an honor.”
During all this time, Katz has seen the sold out crowds, and experienced some of the highest highs baseball has to offer. One thing he wants more than anything is to increase interest in umpiring as a whole. CNN cited that a little under 20,000 have left the profession since 2018. Katz wants the responsibility to help bring it back to prominence.
“My mission is to help combat all those problems and make Little Leagues a better place,” Katz said. “That’s getting people more interested in becoming umpires. When they get to see the behind the scenes, they’re going to go out and treat umpires better. I’m really excited to continue to grow that mission and make the biggest impact possible.”
The Bananas will come to Harbor Park Aug. 16-18. All tickets are sold out, but you can find more information here.