Noah Katz found umpiring the way a lot of teenagers find a summer job — almost by accident, at 16. He never let go of it. He’s since turned that part-time gig into The Umpire Channel, the largest social platform dedicated to the people who officiate the game.
Caught up with at Fanatics Fest, Katz made the pitch he’s been making for years: umpiring is one of the best part-time jobs going, and the sport needs more people to try it. “I love doing it and I can’t recommend it enough,” he said. “I think we’re just getting started.”
On the question everyone wants to ask an umpire in 2026 — the automated ball-strike system — Katz is unbothered. He doesn’t see it reshaping the job at the levels where most umpires actually work.
“I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as some people do,” he said. “It’s not coming to little league, it’s not coming to high school. It’s something for the top levels.”
For a guy whose whole platform is built on getting more people into the trade, that’s the reassuring read: the robot umps live at the very top of the pyramid. Everything underneath it still runs on people — and still needs them.
