Bad Refs Are Only A Symptom of a Bigger Issue — Complex Rules and Greed
By: Jordan Knight
Tags: Refs, Sports, NFL, MLB

Can we have a discussion about rules for a second?

How do all the referees in every sport keep getting things wrong? It’s not just a football issue, its a sports issue. It seems like replay isn’t helping either, which makes life even more infuriating.

Example: during the Game 6 of the World Series, Trea Turner is called for runner’s interference. If you saw the play, it doesn’t look like runners interference. There was a discussion, a review (that technically should not have happened), and they even brought Joe Torre into it. The call stood as called on the field, and if the Nationals didn’t score that inning or lost the game there would have been a massive controversy.

The television experience from home is better now than it has ever been. It is making people content with watching a game from home rather than spending hundreds of dollars to spend the whole day at the stadium. We can see everything now, crystal clear, and we get the benefit of seeing it in slow motion right away. So were referees always bad? No. No they weren’t.

The reason why there seems to be more controversy now then there has ever been is because of the rules.

I usually argue everything that the older generation say. Because 9 times out of 10 they are wrong and their nostalgia is affecting their judgement. Whenever someone says, “Back in my day, the game was less complicated!” They are 100% correct. There are more rules now in every sport than ever before, and it has made the play, and the refereeing of the play that much more complex. This complexity leads to controversy over what the actual results should be in these games.

Eric Bischoff wrote a whole book called Controversy Creates Cash. People really believe in that saying. These arguments over rules, reviews, and the interpretation of that creates news stories that last at least 24 hours. It is discussed on every talking head show or podcast. People debate these things on social media for days. The chatter leads to more eyes on the product, which is ultimately what they want.

Every night when I get home from work, I turn on ESPN or whatever game is occurring at that time. I’m usually sitting with my girlfriend, who, self admittedly is not a sports fan. When we are watching the games, I find myself explaining these complex concepts to her on a regular basis. This is not because I’m trying to sound smart, it is because it is necessary to explain why there is this random 10 minute delay in the football game we are watching.

Is this how we gain new sports fans in 2019? What is the key for a sport to gain popularity? Is it the creation of complex rules or is it simplifying the game so that a novice could understand? That sounds like to extremes. The reality that sports is so complex now that even referees looked confused on what’s going on. The major sports’ leaders need to take time in the offseason to work on simplifying the game that analytics are making more complex. However, I don’t think that they will. The executives in charge of these leagues are prideful. They would rather do the opposite of what the public wants then admit that they are wrong. Example: the NFL got destroyed for a solid 2 months over the pass interference non call in the NFC Championship game between the Saints and the Rams. After the outrage, the NFL changed the replay rules, allowing pass interference calls to be reviewable.

That sounds great on paper, but the referees never overturn the calls. The proper call is clear to everyone at home, but hardly called on the field. This creates more arguing, and more media coverage. It’s a never ending cycle, and leagues like the NFL thrive off of the attention. Despite the negative coverage, it ultimately helps their bottomline. Controversy creates cash. As long as the sports leagues are making money, noting is going to change anytime soon.