Patrick Faerber Joined Referee Magazine Staff
The veteran umpire shifted his career to full-time editorial work by late 2025.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Baseball
Live Poll
Do you believe changing career paths after a setback leads to greater long-term professional fulfillment?
By the end of 2025, Patrick Faerber transitioned into a full-time role as an Assistant Editor at Referee Magazine. The Atlanta-based umpire built this career move after years of training officials and managing games throughout Georgia.
Why it matters
Faerber initially sought to fill an official shortage in 2020 by launching an online training program. His move to full-time editorial work allows him to focus his professional life entirely on the craft of umpiring.
Faerber currently maintains a following of more than 15,000 subscribers on his Umpire Classroom YouTube channel. In 2026, he also served as an umpire for three minor league series in the Southern League.
The players
Patrick Faerber
Patrick Faerber is a professional umpire and current Assistant Editor at Referee Magazine who operates an online training platform for officials.
Ben Walsh
Ben Walsh is the spouse of Patrick Faerber who provided professional support by building a dedicated filming set for the umpire's digital productions.
The details
Faerber established his training presence by creating an online program that teaches essential mechanics to prospective officials. He utilized a professional filming set, complete with studio lights and an outfield wall backdrop, to produce instructional content for his audience.
Timeline
Faerber wrote his coming out story for Outsports in 2016.
He suffered a concussion while working in the Pioneer League in 2018.
Faerber made his relationship with Ben Walsh official in 2020.
Faerber married Ben Walsh in 2023.
He transitioned to his full-time role at Referee Magazine by the end of 2025.
Season Trajectory
Faerber's move reflects a broader trend of veteran officials pivoting toward education and media to sustain the industry's talent pipeline. His work bridges the gap between field-level officiating and the professional development resources serving the sports ecosystem.
Readers looking to enter the officiating field now have a established digital roadmap through Faerber's training program. His expansion plans indicate that future instructional resources will be tailored to cover additional sports served by the magazine.
The takeaway
Digital training programs serve as an essential tool for maintaining the professional standards of sports officiating. Aspiring umpires can leverage established online platforms to learn the foundational mechanics necessary for field duty.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in local diamond sports in our Baseball section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Outsports.
Live Poll
Do you believe changing career paths after a setback leads to greater long-term professional fulfillment?
