The Umpire Channel: This 19-year-old is going viral with social media videos on baseball

WORCESTER — Noah Katz is creating a new category of sports entertainment.

Across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube, the Clark University sophomore is showing the behind-the-scenes world of umpiring and refereeing through various online videos — while dabbling in baseball content, too.

The name of his social media channel? The Umpire Channel.

Coming to a field (and screen) near you.

“We want to cover all these major sporting events from the umpires’ and referees’ perspectives, and tell stories that have never been told before,” Katz said.

And on Friday, the 19-year-old content creator from Virginia visited Polar Park to interview Worcester Red Sox players ahead of their Triple-A baseball game with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  

It’s a dream-come-true for Katz, who is trying to shine a light on the niche world of umpiring and refereeing in sports.

“We’ve really created an incredible, organic community of people who are now interested in umpiring and are going to respect umpires (and referees) a little more,” he said. “It’s been incredible. Everywhere I go, I’ll meet kids who follow the channel and love it.”

Enjoying the ride

A few years ago, Katz needed a part-time job.

It was at a youth baseball game in Virginia where the then 16-year-old was convinced by an umpire to give calling balls and strikes a try.

Following some training, Katz became an umpire.

“I love it as a job,” he said.

From there, an idea sprung. With the well-documented shortage of high school umpires and referees across the country, Katz created a social media channel that highlights why being an umpire is the “best part-time job.”

Insert: The Umpire Channel.

Katz posted his first video on social media on June 12, 2022. Dressed in a black belt and shoes, gray pants, and a blue shirt and hat (his umpire outfit), Katz listed the top reasons for becoming an umpire in 39 seconds.

Nearly two years later, The Umpire Channel has over 300 videos, and 104.1K followers on TikTok, 41.1K followers on Instagram and 28.2K subscribers on YouTube.

“The majority of my content is about umpiring and refereeing, and I'll also do some general baseball content,” Katz said. “My real goal with The Umpire Channel is to get people interested in umpiring.”

To this date, the most popular piece of content that Katz has posted was on Sept. 1, 2023, after he visited Harbor Park Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia, for an MLB Umpire Camp.

“Come with me as I try to become an MLB umpire,” Katz says to lead off his video before outlining what an MLB Umpire Camp entails.

The video now has over 10 million views across his social media platforms.

With his popularity growing online, and some direct monetization and sponsorships coming from that, Katz has traveled to Alabama, Georgia and Texas (and even Amsterdam) to videotape content.

From interviewing Baltimore Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday, to working with the Savannah Bananas, it’s been a fun journey for the cross country and track runner from Clark University.

“I get to live out my childhood dream, it means everything,” Katz said. “Just enjoying the ride.”

From Polar Park to Fenway Park

On Friday, Katz handed in his umpire mask for a miniature microphone at Polar Park.

Instead of making safe calls, the skinny teen asked questions to WooSox players while his friend, track teammate and right-hand man, Moses Millman, videotaped the interactions.

“(Katz) works so hard,” said Millman, a Clark University senior who wants to get into digital media and marketing. “I don’t think a lot of people understand how much work it takes being a D3 athlete, a college student and a business owner. He’s just really pushing himself and the content is always fantastic.”

While interviewing a handful of WooSox players before their 4-2 win over the IronPigs, Katz ran into Eddy Alvarez, a WooSox utilityman who previously competed in the Olympics as both a speed skater and baseball player.

“You go to the Olympics for the first time for skating, what was it like to go back to the Olympics for baseball?” Katz asked Alvarez for a video interview.

The conversation presented a full-circle moment for Katz, who, four years prior, asked Alvarez for an autograph at a Triple-A baseball game in Norfolk, Virginia.

“It was really cool to re-connect with Eddy,” Katz said.

Whether he’s discussing umpire training, handing out sunflower seeds or talking baseball, it’s safe to say Katz is enjoying his social media channel. And Katz will check off another item from his bucket list on June 8 when he umpires the Savannah Bananas game held at Fenway Park.

It's just another day in the life of Noah Katz — the creator of The Umpire Channel.

“It means everything,” Katz said. “I get to do everything I love the most. Social media, umpiring, doing it at the highest level. ... It’s super incredible. You dream of making it on the field and I’m making it on the field in many ways, interviewing these people I grew up watching and with content creators I grew up watching.

“I’m very grateful.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44. 

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Noak Katz goes viral for his sports videos on The Umpire Channel