While most of his peers are sipping highballs on superyachts, George McCaskey is calling balls and strikes.
The Bears chairman moonlights as a youth sports official. He worked as a baseball umpire last month — on the third day of the NFL draft.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com has the story. It’s really something. The man in charge of an NFL team, performing the inherently thankless job of interpreting and applying the rules to youth sporting events.
“The No. 1 reason I officiate is I don’t get second guessed enough in my regular job,” McCaskey said with a smile.
He’s been involved in officiating youth sports for 50 years. Along the way, McCaskey worked games involving his son, Conor.
At one point, Conor was hit out of bounds during a football game and George didn’t throw a flag.
“His mother gave me hell that night for not making the call,” George McCaskey said.
George also served as an umpire when Conor played baseball. Conor didn’t like it.
“He said, ‘I don’t get the calls when I’m a catcher, and I don’t get the calls when I’m a batter,’” McCaskey said. “He didn’t really enjoy it.”
Currently, McCaskey is thinking about volunteering to officiate girl’s flag football this fall.
It’s stunning that this has been kept under wraps. The NFL should be showcasing McCaskey as a way to humanize those who typically reside in much more rarified air than the rest of us.
