WILLIAMSBURG— Noah Katz, a Williamsburg native and senior at Clark University, is continuing to grow his YouTube Channel that revolves around umpiring and officiating at the highest levels.
Katz, who started the channel shortly after graduating high school in 2022, originally saw it as a way to stay close to the sport that he loved. An umpire himself, Katz planned to use the channel to inspire the next generation of umpires and game officials.
Since starting the channel three and a half years ago, Katz has increased his growth and audience engagement to have over 450,000 followers and over 400 million views.
“We’ve really grown across all platforms. We’ve had some major collaborations from filming with NBA referees and working with the NBA to filming with NHL referees and pro soccer referees,” Katz said.
Katz’s expansion into NHL officiating is the first of its kind.
“In ‘A Day in the Life of an NHL Referee’, it’s the very first time that footage shows what it’s like to be an NHL ref. It’s unique, and it covers an aspect of sports that isn’t usually seen, but people are really interested in it. From our content, we’re making a real difference in getting people interested in officiating,” Katz said.
Katz is also landing umpiring gigs that he never saw possible.
“I’ve been umpiring with the Savannah Bananas, and I got to do it at Yankee Stadium. That day, the surprise guest umpire was Eli Manning. While I was there, I also met fellow YouTuber Mr. Beast and did some filming with him,” Katz explained.
Balancing running his channel while attending college full-time, Katz’s schedule can become somewhat hectic.
“For the first week of school in the fall, I traveled to Cooperstown for one of the biggest youth baseball tournaments in the country. While I was there, I partnered with Under Armour, and I did some really cool content. From there, I dropped off my stuff at school and moved in. I then flew to New York, where I filmed with U.S. Open officials. I then flew to Pittsburgh and umpired for the Savannah Bananas at PNC Park, which had 40,000 fans at each game. From there, I flew to California for some different meetings and then back to New York to umpire at Yankee Stadium. It’s a very hectic and crazy schedule, but it’s a lot of fun and ends up working out pretty well,” Katz said.
When the channel started, Katz originally planned to just focus on baseball, but now the channel has grown to include the NBA, NHL, MLB, and U.S. Open. However, he says there are still many other sports he’d love to include.
“We’re really just trying to expand and cover some of the bigger events. We just did NHL, and now we’re looking at doing something during the Winter Classic to showcase sports at its biggest events. Right now, I’m talking to the Professional Lacrosse League about filming with their officials, but we’re definitely always looking to expand,” Katz said.
After he graduates from college in May, Katz is planning on growing the channel even more, hopeful to make it his full-time job.
“I’m really doing it full time already, but the plan is that after I graduate, I’ll be doing it full time. I have my summer and fall already scheduled out with events and filming. I’m really going straight into it,” Katz said.
To learn more about The Umpire Channel, visit theumpirechannel.com.