EditorialYuji Ryuzaki, left, of the Ryuyukai softball team, speaks with an umpire before a game in suburban Tokyo, July 3, 2022. (Shiho Fukada/The New York Times)
EditorialUmpires observe a match at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 25, 2022. Data from cameras around the court is translated into the sound that Action Audio broadcasts. (Alana Holmberg/The New York Times)
EditorialFor more than a decade, a group of Major League Baseball’s umpires has convened by phone to pursue spiritual solace. (Chloe Cushman/The New York Times)
EditorialNew York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter throws his hips backwards at the plate, a tactic he often used to help persuade umpires that a pitch inside was indeed a ball, during a game at Yankee Stadium in New York, Aug. 15, 2007. (Ulli Seit/The New York Times)