Something I’ve been thinking about a bit lately, particularly with the NFL
the NFL has by far the worst officiating imo of pro team sports and it’s starting to really annoy me. It annoys me because I enjoy the sport itself but it seems like every week of games these days there are some god awful calls that decide games and a lackluster review system. Each year in the playoffs in particular there seem to be very high profile games that get decided by the refs late and it’s starting to take away my enjoyment of football in general (not sure if college has a similar issue since I never watch it)
NBA can be really bad too. They have the unenviable position of having referees who were proven to be in cahoots with fixing games in the past. I don’t think the refs can impact games as blatantly as the NFL but shooting foul calls and significant disparities in free throw attempts can absolutely influence games
MLB is hot and cold. Calling balls and strikes is difficult in itself and there are some umps who are absolutely pathetic at it (we all know who) but it seems like it’s less of a thing in high profile postseason games
not sure how unpopular this is if at all but I feel like NHL refs are generally the best. They can’t really influence a game as directly as refs in other leagues other than by granting power plays to teams but there doesn’t seem to be that much of commotion of it being a common thing. They might be bad game to game but over the course of a playoff series it never really comes up
Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
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MalkinIsMyHomeboy
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Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
They all are equal parts suck. Its replay that sucks and creates an unjust system. No, it doesn't.
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mikey
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Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
This is such a MIMH thread haha
NHL is the best relative to the speed of the game and the difficulty.
MLB is probably the "objective" best because it's so easy to call.
NFL produces the least quality relative to the amount of officials, help from above, tons of reviews, etc.
NBA is confirmed fixed, so that's a category all by itself...
I was thieved out of a ton of money yesterday by easily avoidable bad officiating...that's about as hot as I get about officiating, because I know it's tough, I've done it...but I don't sit there and have a pity party about it because if that was the case, I'd never watch any of this stuff. It has to be really egregious for me to go anywhere with it. Yesterday was a really bad day in the NFL in my opinion...but generally, it doesn't get in the way of my enjoyment of it - again, if it did, I'd be long gone...
NHL is the best relative to the speed of the game and the difficulty.
MLB is probably the "objective" best because it's so easy to call.
NFL produces the least quality relative to the amount of officials, help from above, tons of reviews, etc.
NBA is confirmed fixed, so that's a category all by itself...
I was thieved out of a ton of money yesterday by easily avoidable bad officiating...that's about as hot as I get about officiating, because I know it's tough, I've done it...but I don't sit there and have a pity party about it because if that was the case, I'd never watch any of this stuff. It has to be really egregious for me to go anywhere with it. Yesterday was a really bad day in the NFL in my opinion...but generally, it doesn't get in the way of my enjoyment of it - again, if it did, I'd be long gone...
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RonnieFranchise
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Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
So, I don't talk about it much but I'm a fairly high up administrator in the referee community of a grassroots sports organization in Western PA (I'm a ref but not a highly trained one, I'm just a fool who when asked, said I'd do the one job that required administrative skill but doesn't require actual ref skill).
It's been eye opening the past few years learning about what actually goes into becoming a high level referee. I mean, you can go ref a U6 game of anything on a days' online training and a few hours on field. To actually move up into regional/national/pro level games it's fitness tests and assessments ad nauseam. I happened to read over a few assessments last week for people who were trying to move up and man, it's tough.
You have to be in position all the time, able to see and process things at real time speed and except for the highest levels where there's replay, that's it. What you think you saw is what you saw. You have to make the call and be confident about it, regardless of what coaches, players and spectators say.
I respect people who want to do the job but except for a few kids games here and there to make a few extra bucks, it's not something I'd go out of my way to do personally. This volunteer job has really toned down my level of ref complaining. Yeah the pros get paid decently to do it but they've put in the sweat equity. Bad calls are still unavoidable and if a ref makes too many of them and fails assessments, they don't (or shouldn't) ref that level anymore.
It's been eye opening the past few years learning about what actually goes into becoming a high level referee. I mean, you can go ref a U6 game of anything on a days' online training and a few hours on field. To actually move up into regional/national/pro level games it's fitness tests and assessments ad nauseam. I happened to read over a few assessments last week for people who were trying to move up and man, it's tough.
You have to be in position all the time, able to see and process things at real time speed and except for the highest levels where there's replay, that's it. What you think you saw is what you saw. You have to make the call and be confident about it, regardless of what coaches, players and spectators say.
I respect people who want to do the job but except for a few kids games here and there to make a few extra bucks, it's not something I'd go out of my way to do personally. This volunteer job has really toned down my level of ref complaining. Yeah the pros get paid decently to do it but they've put in the sweat equity. Bad calls are still unavoidable and if a ref makes too many of them and fails assessments, they don't (or shouldn't) ref that level anymore.
Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
Unless they have a union. Then you get to be Angel Hernandez.
Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
This thread will go well.
Depends how you define it. NHL refs are the worst at consistently calling things as the rule book defines them. Some people think that's good for the game and viewing, I personally don't.
MLB umps are the best
NFL refs are mediocre but I think they have the hardest job
NBA, I don't watch enough to comment or have an opinion
Depends how you define it. NHL refs are the worst at consistently calling things as the rule book defines them. Some people think that's good for the game and viewing, I personally don't.
MLB umps are the best
NFL refs are mediocre but I think they have the hardest job
NBA, I don't watch enough to comment or have an opinion
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meow
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Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
NHL refs are the best. I also think they have the smallest impact on a game
NFL refs have a hard job because the rulebook is stupid as hell
MLB umps the worst because they should be the best and they aren’t
NBA refs are a joke
NFL refs have a hard job because the rulebook is stupid as hell
MLB umps the worst because they should be the best and they aren’t
NBA refs are a joke
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Troy Loney
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Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
The complaints about the mlb are kind of absurd. It’s amazing how many of those calls right on the lines of the box get called correctly. That said, if you have the technology to improve the calls, why not do that?
The nfl is the only sport that seems to try and make the job harder for the on-field officials every year.
The nfl is the only sport that seems to try and make the job harder for the on-field officials every year.
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MrKennethTKangaroo
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Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
Anyone care to show two targeting calls in cfb and explain what is and what is not legal?
Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
Sure, if it's Paris Ford it's illegal, otherwise it isn'tMrKennethTKangaroo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 3:58 pm Anyone care to show two targeting calls in cfb and explain what is and what is not legal?
Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
I clicked for the poll. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
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Orlando Penguin
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Which pro sport has the worst officiating and does it affect your enjoyment of the sport?
Speaking from an official's perspective...
I work both baseball and basketball at the HS level. I'll always say that baseball is easier than basketball because it's more black & white. Other than balls & strikes, there isn't too much judgment involved in calls and in those instances, you can pretty much sell anything and get away with it. In basketball, there's so much that goes into a situation and most of it is game management. We like to allow the players to set the tempo of the game. If they're gonna be rough, then it's gonna be a long night. If they're gonna allow for free-flowing play, then it allows for less whistles and it's easier to call the obvious. I always like the 'how can you call that foul with 4 seconds left in a tie game' complaint because if it's a foul with 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, it's a foul now too, which is why I hate when the NHL refs swallow the whistle in the last minutes of a playoff game.
To move to the poll:
NBA sucks. I can't watch it because many things I know about how a game should be called is washed away by watching a lot of these games. The last couple of years, college has been inching closer to this.
NHL only bothers me because of the inconsistency involved. I think they have the hardest job because of the speed and the fact they have to skate for 60+ minutes of game time.
NFL has been ruined by replay because now officials are afraid to make a call because of the challenge situation. Just man up, make a call, and if they want to challenge it, fine. You're not gonna get every one right, especially when you're 65 and you're chasing around elite athletes in their 20's. The poor judgment with the PI in the Colts game is pretty egregious and that's something the league needs to address.
MLB is the one I'm most disappointed by. This year, the strike zone was the worst I've ever seen it called. It's not easy but when it's your profession, you really need to be better than the stats we've seen. The stuff on the bases with bang-bang on a force or on a tag can easily be fixed with replay now and I don't think guys are hesitant like their football brethren.
I work both baseball and basketball at the HS level. I'll always say that baseball is easier than basketball because it's more black & white. Other than balls & strikes, there isn't too much judgment involved in calls and in those instances, you can pretty much sell anything and get away with it. In basketball, there's so much that goes into a situation and most of it is game management. We like to allow the players to set the tempo of the game. If they're gonna be rough, then it's gonna be a long night. If they're gonna allow for free-flowing play, then it allows for less whistles and it's easier to call the obvious. I always like the 'how can you call that foul with 4 seconds left in a tie game' complaint because if it's a foul with 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, it's a foul now too, which is why I hate when the NHL refs swallow the whistle in the last minutes of a playoff game.
To move to the poll:
NBA sucks. I can't watch it because many things I know about how a game should be called is washed away by watching a lot of these games. The last couple of years, college has been inching closer to this.
NHL only bothers me because of the inconsistency involved. I think they have the hardest job because of the speed and the fact they have to skate for 60+ minutes of game time.
NFL has been ruined by replay because now officials are afraid to make a call because of the challenge situation. Just man up, make a call, and if they want to challenge it, fine. You're not gonna get every one right, especially when you're 65 and you're chasing around elite athletes in their 20's. The poor judgment with the PI in the Colts game is pretty egregious and that's something the league needs to address.
MLB is the one I'm most disappointed by. This year, the strike zone was the worst I've ever seen it called. It's not easy but when it's your profession, you really need to be better than the stats we've seen. The stuff on the bases with bang-bang on a force or on a tag can easily be fixed with replay now and I don't think guys are hesitant like their football brethren.