Urgent
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2005
- Messages
- 3,115
- Reaction score
- 1,949
The league is going to have to confront reform of the current referee system this offseason. This has been the worst season for referee performance in recent memory.
Any team can point to blown calls, and there seem to be more examples of the league admitting game-changing mistakes this season. Lots of overturned calls.
I think few fans point to bias - the evidence for incompetence is overwhelming.
And it's hard to point at any individual terrible referee - there is enough blame to spread around fairly evenly.
Potential solutions:
Younger referees - build a cadre of 30-year olds to complement the 60-year olds who may struggle with the speed of the game.
More referees total - add a group of referees, and treat them like players. That is, aggressively measure them game to game with a panel of reviewers and rank them for game performance. Players are rated every game, and those that don't perform sit or are released. Rather than simply allocate post-season games, allocate all games based on performance. Those that are culled out can apply for roles at the college level.
More referees per game - maybe it's just not possible to move quickly enough to get in proper position.
Leverage technology better - when 10 million fans can see it's a touchdown and the seven guys on the field cannot, there should be a simple solution. Add seniority to the replay official - make him/her the 'captain' of the team and the highest-paid role, and give him/her the authority to overturn calls - if done within 30 seconds. The fact is that the casual viewer now has far greater ability to judge calls than the guys on the field, with a single angle at enormous speed. Given the super-slow-motion high-definition replays we see, it's amazing how often the guys on the field picked up the position of the ball. But 90% accuracy, when all the fans can see the actual result, isn't acceptable.
As a baseball fan, I can see a similar need. Now that technology can determine balls and strikes, and safe or out, it's frustrating to rely upon 60-year old men with obstructed angles. Video technology has advanced faster than the referees could keep up. It's time to accept that and utilize technology and reform to improve the game.
Any team can point to blown calls, and there seem to be more examples of the league admitting game-changing mistakes this season. Lots of overturned calls.
I think few fans point to bias - the evidence for incompetence is overwhelming.
And it's hard to point at any individual terrible referee - there is enough blame to spread around fairly evenly.
Potential solutions:
Younger referees - build a cadre of 30-year olds to complement the 60-year olds who may struggle with the speed of the game.
More referees total - add a group of referees, and treat them like players. That is, aggressively measure them game to game with a panel of reviewers and rank them for game performance. Players are rated every game, and those that don't perform sit or are released. Rather than simply allocate post-season games, allocate all games based on performance. Those that are culled out can apply for roles at the college level.
More referees per game - maybe it's just not possible to move quickly enough to get in proper position.
Leverage technology better - when 10 million fans can see it's a touchdown and the seven guys on the field cannot, there should be a simple solution. Add seniority to the replay official - make him/her the 'captain' of the team and the highest-paid role, and give him/her the authority to overturn calls - if done within 30 seconds. The fact is that the casual viewer now has far greater ability to judge calls than the guys on the field, with a single angle at enormous speed. Given the super-slow-motion high-definition replays we see, it's amazing how often the guys on the field picked up the position of the ball. But 90% accuracy, when all the fans can see the actual result, isn't acceptable.
As a baseball fan, I can see a similar need. Now that technology can determine balls and strikes, and safe or out, it's frustrating to rely upon 60-year old men with obstructed angles. Video technology has advanced faster than the referees could keep up. It's time to accept that and utilize technology and reform to improve the game.