To be honest, I've always wondered this about the NFL as well:

Blowing the Whistle

Of course, you have to consider the source (unless of course the talking horse is the famous Mister Ed)

While there sure are some seriously suspect things that happen in NBA officiating, I think this lot is fiction for the most part. The publisher pulled the book this week.

BTW, college football has as much iffy officiating as the NBA.

What is the NBA?

+1

the best game ever invented played by the best athletes on the planet

nothing shocks me with officiating anymore - MLB, Super Bowl XL, and on and on

I have a friend who an NFL official and the scrunity they go through is unbelievable. Film is watched five times on Tues and Weds and they have to defend every call that looks bad or questionable in writing. The number of bad/questionable calls are filed, and the referee units that have the fewest are the ones selected for the playoffs and SB AND that is where the major bucks are paid out for these guys.

They should look at the last second jump ball call at the Timberwolves - Celtics game last night.

officiating an NFL game is piece of cake compared to the NBA. I am not defending the officials at all bc there is obviously some issues and I really don't like the bias that some refs show towards players - and the downside is due to the nature of the game it is too personal.

That being said you are talking about many split-second decisions over the course of game made by athletic freaks. Not easy


I would be curious what your NFL buddy has to say about the Pitt/Seattle Super bowl - that made a mockery of NFL officiating

I have a ton of respect for NFL officials. Obviously stuff like holding and pass interference is a very fuzzy line, but on the more concrete stuff that is explicitly defined (fumbles, receptions, sidelines, touchdowns, spotting) they are generally right on the money in an almost superhuman way. It's easy to be right when watching the replay. These guys get it right live more than they should.

In the NBA, I think that every call is a judgement call on the fuzzy line, and the league pushes refs to lean one way or the other.

I definitely believe this stuff exists in all sports.

Absolutely agree. I think it's on the college level as well. Sports isn't entertaining out of pure luck. C'mon, the Giants losing the last regular season game to the Patriots, but it was a close game, only to come back and win in the Super Bowl? Do you remember the regular season game when Moss dropped a long ball, and then on the next play they went to the same play and Collinsworth was shaking his head as to how the cornerback could let Moss go by him two times in a row. Yeah, you can script this stuff, and they do. Does that mean we don't have blowouts? No. They can't make every game great, or we'd catch on, right.

I expect this ref to be poisoned and for us to hear that he's dying of cancer soon. It's too powerful of an industry to be exposed. Btw, we never went to the moon. Not kidding.

+1

its entertainment, not fair play.