Prospect League Announces Partnership with Officially Human

MAHOMET, Ill. – The Prospect League has announced a new partnership with Officially Human, an organization dedicated to improving the treatment and retention of sports officials at all levels. The Prospect League is the first collegiate summer baseball league to partner with Officially Human, which currently works with the NCAA and multiple conferences, including five at the Division I level, and several state high school athletics governing bodies.

This collaboration comes at a critical time, as the shortage of sports officials in youth, high school, and lower collegiate levels has reached near-crisis proportions. Founded in 2019, Officially Human is a grassroots effort aimed at "humanizing" sports officials and addressing the alarming rate at which they leave the profession. A significant percentage of officials quit within their first three years, citing poor treatment from coaches, fans, and administrators as the primary reason for their departure.

"The Prospect League is proud to be the first collegiate summer league to partner with Officially Human," said Prospect League Commissioner David Brauer. "The future of umpiring and officiating in all sports is at stake, and Officially Human's efforts are addressing issues faced across all levels. By engaging in a solution to these challenges, our League is acting as a good steward for the sport and helping position it for a better future." 

As part of its partnership, the Prospect League will have access to Officially Human's programming to help promote its mission to restore respect and positive treatment of sport officials through education and communication while underscoring the importance of this cause.

"Officially Human is thrilled to partner with the Prospect League to further our mission of 'humanizing' sports officials at all levels," said Brenda Hilton, founder and CEO of Officially Human. "This collegiate summer baseball collaboration will broaden our reach and allow us to continue sharing our message of sportsmanship across athletics."

For more information about Officially Human and its mission, visit officiallyhuman.org.

ABOUT OFFICIALLY HUMAN
Based in Lombard, IL, Officially Human was founded to restore respect to, and positive treatment of, sport officials through increased education and communication to all stakeholders (administrators, coaches, athletes, and fans.) Founded in 2019, Officially Human is the leader in addressing the growing crisis in officiating that touches every sport, official, and level of competition. Officially Human offers tailored solutions to athletic host organizations of all sizes that improve the stakeholder experience at each of their sporting competitions. The comprehensive solutions package includes digital education, awareness building, event host communication strategies, and organizational support in addressing poor fan behavior. To learn more about Officially Human, visit officiallyhuman.com. 

ABOUT THE PROSPECT LEAGUE
The Prospect League is a premier Midwestern wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league with 18 teams across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. The League provides college players with a professional setting with excellent competition and high-quality facilities while delivering exciting baseball action and affordable all-ages entertainment to its communities. More than 1.2 million fans attended Prospect League games over the past two seasons and in both 2023 and 2024, the League achieved new attendance records and led all collegiate summer baseball in growth.

Known as the Central Illinois Collegiate League from 1963-2008, the Prospect League has more than 60 years of proud tradition as one of the original and most recognizable summer leagues. The League's rich history includes Hall of Famers, NCAA and World Series Champions, over 200 alumni in Major League Baseball, and more than 800 professional players. For more information visit prospectleague.com and follow on social media @prospectleague.

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