A bipartisan bill will be introduced next legislative session making it a crime in Wisconsin to hit, shove, kick or intimidate a sports official. The Democratic sponsor is State Representative Don Vruwink, who often serves as an umpire. The bill is aimed at stopping upset coaches, players and fans from following the umpire or referee out into the parking lot for a confrontation. Vruwink says his son gave up officiating after an incident following a softball game the two had worked for 12-year-old girls. The Republican co-sponsor is State Representative Todd Novak of Dodgeville.
