This might not be too popular, but I want to give 2 thumbs up to all the refs and the job they did. Black and White and Never Right is a tough row to hoe but you all deserve a Thank You. Please don't ever be discouraged by the nay sayers. Good job guys, and gal.
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Not an easy job that they do. What they do need is better support from the Command Center and that goes back to having better replays to help make the correct call. NFL breaks it down frame by frame from six different angles.
Not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field is a lame excuse for not getting it right.
That means a lot coming from someone like myself who's being officiating Canadian Amateur Football since 2005.
A thankless position for sure.
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A few points to consider:
a- Does the complaining spectator have a better view from half a stadium to half a continent away from the action than a person two to ten yards away?
b- Can the complaining spectator quote the rule in question word-for-word?
c- Does the complaining spectator operate under the assumption that an official's job is to make sure the spectator's team always wins?
I have seen many calls that I didn't like, but I haven't seen one where I can say the official on the scene got it wrong. I have seen some plays where I thought my team got a gift, but I don't recall ever reading such an admission from any of the repeat complainers.
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No matter what call is made the other team and their fans will complain no matter what.
Can't win.
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Agree!
I don’t know how they can see if a ball is caught cleanly while simultaneously seeing if the receiver’s feet are in bounds, while considering other factors but I’m often amazed at how they do it.
And thank you to officials at all levels. Without them doing their often thankless job, giving up their nights and weekends for pay that isn’t commensurate with what they do, we wouldn’t have sports.
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One day most every sport will be mostly or fully automated. Like tennis is now. No human line calls were made in the Australian Open. It worked perfectly. Balls and strikes in baseball will go that way. Whether a puck crossed the goal line or a football crossed the end line or was fumbled before a knee hit the ground. I predict that there will be only one or two human officials in any sport. Compare sports technology now to that which existed in the 1970’s and the trend is obvious.
I don’t know when this will happen but technology and AI will continue to improve. How many jobs have been lost because widgets on an assembly line are no longer stuffed into boxes by human hands? I am sure many won’t like this but I believe it is inevitable. It is possible and I would say even likely that incorrect calls by technology will one day be close to zero percent, like line calls in tennis. I think it is just reality.
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Often yes!
Can the ref?
I doubt there is a spectator complaining or not who believes that
You have not seen ONE call that officials got wrong?
I apologize if I misunderstand what you are saying. But, I have seen numerous wrong calls by officials, both for and against my team.
Most people don't complain when a bad call favours their team, but it doesn't mean they don't realize they have been given a gift.
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This seems like a fun initiative. Not sure how well it will sell, but worth a shot.
[quote="carlos_harper, post:2, topic:84046"]
Not an easy job that they do. What they do need is better support from the Command Center and that goes back to having better replays to help make the correct call. NFL breaks it down frame by frame from six different angles.
Not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field is a lame excuse for not getting it right.
[/quote]ocsteve@mail.comersom]aPersonally I'd like to see all this replay stuff thrown out. Go with the call from the refs on the field. It is a game of people not computers. Right or wrong, if someone makes a mistake that's part of the game. From GM's making horrible decisions signing players, Commissioners doing the wrong things right down to the popcorn vender dropping it when passing it to you. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.
I've worked CFL games on the sidelines and over and over again I was surprised by how well an officials could see the play and make the right call in a split second because they are right there so close. Sorry about ranting on but I'm an Old Geezer and that's just what I think.
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I love the theory of using replay to get the tough calls correct, but when that theory has been put into effect, it hasn't worked out that well. CFL on TSN ratings have declined steadily since video replay was implemented to the extent that ratings are down somewhere around 50% in 10-12 years.
I wouldn't mind going one step further and stop even having refs take the time to go on field to announce penalties. They can just announce it into their headset and keep the play moving. USports games are a lot of fun to watch because the pace of the game is so much faster than it is in the CFL.
Why as a paying customer should I accept a garbage product? We have the ability to fix errors....fix them
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One of the things with going with the call is having a perceived referee bias.
When they can view every angle and every step they improve the chances of a correct call that can not be disputed and fair to both sides. XFL did a good job of it imo.
Perceived?
It's more than perceived, there is a bias
I was trying to be nice.
Too often, though, we see a dozen replays while play is paused for several minutes and then the final decision is announced and half the fans aren't satisfied anyway. If we don't lose viewers bored by the dead time between plays, we lose viewers upset with the "wrong" call.
At least with the XFL way, the viewers get insight exactly into what the reviewers are thinking when they make their decision. That would help CFL broadcasts, I think.
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Ah! That makes more sense! 
Yeah, and always for the other team.
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The league can't eliminate replay...
First, the refs on the field get it wrong sometimes (they're human) and if the league can make ut right, they have an obligation to their fans, players, and franchisees to do so.
Second, the use of replay in professional sport around the world has become ubiquitous, and if the CFL were to abandon it, it would make the league look really cheap and bush-league in many more fans' eyes. People don't tolerate backwards steps very well.
What the league needs to do is improve the review process, making it faster, seamless, and more accurate.
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