3 Grahams and a Mic - Episide 7 - How much impact can referees and umpires really have?

See some of the research that went into this weeks episode.

In no way do we condone abuse of referees or umpires. We just hoped to highlight the complexity surrounding referees and umpires.

Officiating is frequently in the spotlight for determining the outcome of games. But should it be?

Nobody goes to a sporting event to watch the referees, umpires or officials. It’s just a simple fact of sports. People watch or attend games to root for their team, the athletes that play the game or the sport itself.

Officials are necessary to police the game, and while they’re an important component to sports, they shouldn’t stand out. They should simply blend into the background and let players play the game.

But between video replay, coaching challenges and a greater attention to player safety, game officials have more influence over the outcomes of games than ever before, for better or worse.

As the emphasis on player safety continues to grow, it’s more important than ever for officials to help enforce and maintain proper rules. It is, after all, their job to ensure the game is played safely. And that’s especially true in sports today, where rules are constantly evolving to protect players.

Those rules, however, might be giving officials too much influence. By allowing them to have more judgment on things like contact and what constitutes a safe hit versus a dangerous one means there is no consistency in calls from play-to-play and game-to-game. Goals, drives, games and seasons sometimes come down to one official’s interpretation of an ever-changing rule or a judge being overly cautious.

And it’s not just professional sports, but all ranks and ages. Nothing is more maddening then watching your team’s defense end a drive with a great coverage play, only for the drive to be kept alive by a ticky-tack low hit on the other side of the field that didn’t affect the outcome. Or a power play that’s awarded for aggressive-looking contact that doesn’t actually cause any harm.

The same is true for things like instant replay and coaching challenges. There is a seemingly endless need for games to be played to perfection, with every call scrutinized and replayed over and over. But getting rid of the human error has only put a brighter spotlight on officials, particularly when calls are still made incorrectly after being reviewed.

In the past, a call was made or a call was missed. Those were just the breaks of the game, and athletes were taught to overcome the uncontrollable and keep playing hard. That’s what sports are all about; athletes and coaches are always striving for perfection, but athletics are simply random.

But instant replay is not going away. If anything, it is only going to increase in usage. And keeping athletes safe isn’t just a fad, but the present and future of sports. So the question becomes: Where do we draw the line on officials influencing the outcomes?

Football referees: death threats, physical violence and verbal abuse are all part of the job

 

Most spectators will have witnessed a situation where an official is harassed for making an unfavourable call. Whether it is a professional footballer insulting the referee’s mother, or parents of junior players threatening officials at a local five-a-side match, abusing the ref has become a “normal” part of football.

Match officials encounter an array of hostile behaviours from players, coaches and spectators ranging from verbal abuse to physical assault. The most common form of abuse exhibited is verbal aggression, with 64% of match officials in one study claiming to have frequently experienced such actions, followed by threats (36%). Worryingly 15% of the match officials reported physical abuse while on the job – and it’s not rare for match officials to be hospitalised as a result of physical attacks.

Emotional impact

Exposure to abuse can have adverse effects on an official’s performance, many referees report a loss in concentration and motivation after being criticised by players and spectators. And more serious effects of abuse can also develop long after the game. Research has shown that exposure to similar forms of abuse within other occupational settings can have numerous psychological consequences – including an increase in anxiety levels.

The damaging effects of this abuse are reflected in the dwindling referee retention rates – with more referees quitting their jobs due to being constantly abused. This is likely to lead to a reduction in skilled match officials. And with referees playing a significant role to ensure that football is played fairly and correctly, this can only result in poorer quality games at all levels.

Why the abuse?

Players and spectators often engage in abusive behaviour in part due to what’s known as “in-game triggers”. These can be frustrations towards a decision they believe to be unfair – or as a method of externalising their problems in the game. Many people also use interpersonal conflict with the referee in an attempt to influence future refereeing decisions.

Such abuse is frequently demonstrated by players and managers at the highest level of football – who often face little consequences for their actions. As a result, these actions are seen as acceptable conduct by viewers and spectators. And it normalises the behaviour as an integral part of football. This allows players and spectators to emulate the actions in future matches with little consideration of the moral implications.

Children, teenagers and even adults frequently try to imitate the mannerisms of their favourite footballers – be it copying their hairstyles or their skills when playing the game. One reason for this copycat behaviour is what social psychologists refer to as “vicarious reinforcement”. This is the act of imitating another person, in an attempt to reap the same rewards as them.

Now ask yourself, what would be going through a junior player’s mind when they witness a successful footballer they look up to shouting at the referee for giving a decision against their team.

How much do they get paid?

 

In 2018, The NRL referees union was seeking a pay rise that would result in the game’s top whistle-blower earning a wage less than that of the average NRL player.

Fairfax Media can reveal the Professional Rugby League Match Officials is seeking a 30 per cent pay increase for its members over the next four years. If granted, the single best referee in the game would stand to earn about $315,000 once Test and State of Origin commitments are factored in. To put that into perspective, the average wage for players under the new collective bargaining agreement rises to $330,000.

How much influence can a referee or umpire have?

Former NBA referee Tom Donaghy received a 15-month prison term in connection with a gambling scandal that tarnished professional basketball.

A federal judge also sentenced the disgraced referee to three years of probation. Donaghy pleaded guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information on interstate commerce.

The betting scandal damaged the NBA's credibility, which had already faced allegations that playoff games were fixed to extend the length of rounds and ensure that large market teams advanced.

NBA referees already are the most influential in any professional sport; disgraced ref Tim Donaghy claims that referees altered the outcome of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, and while it has never been proven, it has never been disproven, either.

The ‘Hand of God’

Diego Maradona’s infamous handball for Argentina, which knocked England out of the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, is perhaps the most famous (or infamous) refereeing gaffe of all time.

Tunisian official Ali Bin Nasser later blamed a haemorrhoid treatment for affecting his sight and causing him to miss it.

ANASTA PENALISED FOR BEING PUNCHED IN THE FACE
It appears Cummins has a history of punishing the wrong bloke.

In 2007, Braith Anasta was penalised after being on the receiving end of a David Fa'alogo punch to the head.

After making a tackle on the Souths forward, Anasta is smacked in the nose before he even knows what happened.

Stunned, Anasta tells Cummins immediately: "You're off your head! You're off your head!"

He later tells reporters: "[Cummins] listened to the crowd. He should check his undies seriously. I've never seen anyone give in to the crowd like he did."

HAND OF KIERAN

You may have heard about this one over the weekend, given the Cowboys were once again the team robbed.

In last year's semi-final, Kieran Foran rises above Johnathan Thurston and palms the ball forward in the lead-up to a 63rd minute try that helps Manly to a 22-12 victory.

Video referees Steve Clark and Paul Simpkins award the try, only for ref bosses Stuart Raper and Bill Harrigan to confirm the decision is incorrect 24 hours later.

Foran initially denies he touched it but - after watching the replays - later admits he most certainly did.

 

 

'Worst in history': NRL world in disbelief over grand final 'travesty'

The Sydney Roosters have become the first team to record back-to-back premierships in 26 years, however their 14-8 NRL grand final win over Canberra will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

With the scores tied at 8-8, the Raiders had the Roosters on the rack and looked to have earned a repeat set when Tedesco failed to reel in a Jack Wighton bomb.

Cummins waved his arms in the air to signal six again but, when Wighton was tackled with the ball, they ruled a turnover.

Matt Giteau even wrote:

What was that?!! 6 to go, 6 to go…..oh no I have changed my mind

I play UNION and even know that isn’t right… Next minute try to Roosters

Are Refs Biased?

What factors, if any, influence the way refs call a game?

That old myth of home field bias isn’t a myth at all; it’s a statistical fact.

There's a small amount of research out there that explores this very topic. Three economists published a study in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society that looked at 1,000 cricket matches from 1986 to 2012. Researchers found some insights that could translate to just about any sport. The team concluded that even referees that were specifically chosen to be impartial sided had a 10 to 16 percent bias toward the home team.

Scorecasting, a book published in 2012 by Toby Moskowitz and Jon Wertheim, took a similar look at American football. The authors found that NFL home teams held a 57.3 percent home field advantage. The authors point to referees as a major factor in this data. When NFL refs throw flags, it rallies the home team fans which could prompt the refs to throw flags more and more in favor of the home team.

Read More:
The Hidden Psychology of the Home Ref
http://www.psmag.com/navigation/books-and-culture/hidden-psychology-home-ref-96565/
"That old myth of home field bias isn't a myth at all; it's a statistical fact."

'Impartial' Refs May Make Calls to Favor Home Team, Subconsciously
http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/impartial-refs-may-make-subconscious-biased-calls-to-favor-home-team
"Fans like to blame refs' bad calls on biased. Some think this tactic is used to mask their team's defeat. But the home field advantage may not be the myth some people think it is. It's a statistical fact, according to three economists."

Soccer Referees Do Favor Home Teams, Study Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061030120410.htm
"Academics have proved what football (soccer) managers in the English Premiership have been complaining about for years -- that referees are inconsistent and favor home teams."

Referees Prefer Athletes in Red
http://www.livescience.com/2772-referees-prefer-athletes-red.html
"When referees see red, they don't get angry. They may actually favor the competitor in scarlet attire, a new study suggests."

World Football's 25 Best Chants
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1549731-world-footballs-25-best-chants/page/23

NHL official becomes the most hated American in Russia: Protesters threaten to kill US hockey referee and turn him into SOAP as they blame him for Games loss to States
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561764/American-hockey-referee-hated-man-Sochi-calling-goal-U-S-favor-inciting-Cold-War-fury-victory-game-against-Russia.html