Softball Umpires Call More Walks than Strikeouts when the Pitcher Plays for a Historically Black College and University

Year 2021, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 91 - 103, 26.03.2021

Andrew Dix

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether softball umpires were more likely to call walks than strikeouts when the pitcher on the mound played for a historically black college and university (HBCU). As the acronym hints, an HBCU is a United States university that primarily serves individuals from the African American community while a predominantly white institution (PWI) has a student population that is mostly Caucasian. There is a well-developed line of research which has indicated that referee bias is common and suggested that racial factors can influence umpire decisions. However, there is no research which has specifically centered on umpire decision-making in the sport of softball. This study revealed a statistical difference on a criterion that is known as the strikeout to walk ratio. Umpires called a greater proportion of walks than strikeouts when the softball pitcher played for an HBCU relative to when the softball pitcher played for a PWI. These findings were uncovered in two different divisions and over the course of two different seasons which spanned from 2018-2019 through 2019-2020. The uncovered results point to the notion that cultural affiliation and racial factors can adversely influence the decision-making of softball umpires in certain contexts.

Keywords

referee bias, historically black colleges and universities, softball, race

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