Our games have a problem, and it keeps happening again and again.
The issue only seems to be getting worse and worse. And it doesn’t discriminate.
Every sport is increasingly in the midst of an officiating crisis.
It once again came to the forefront during the Lions’ 20-19 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday.
Lions offensive lineman Taylor Decker claimed, and video overwhelmingly supported, that he told referee Brad Allen he was reporting as eligible before catching what would have been a game-winning two-point conversion. But Allen announced offensive tackle Dan Skipper as eligible and the Lions were flagged for illegal touching. Allen has since claimed that Skipper was the one who reported to him, though Skipper and a myriad of Lions players as well as video do not support that claim.
In a highly anticipated nationally televised game between two NFL heavyweights, it served as the perfect microcosm of the officiating crisis plaguing major sports. Multi-billion dollar corporations are being dragged down by avoidable officiating errors.
There is no evidence the missed calls has fans tuning out, but the integrity of the games is being eroded. Let’s take a look at how officiating lapses are affecting a few leagues and some potential solutions:
NFL
Fans and analysts alike have argued that the quality of officiating has never been worse.
It goes well beyond the Lions-Cowboys fiasco.
Missed pass interference calls have determined the outcomes of several games, such as the one that should have been called during the end of the Chiefs-Packers game on Dec. 3.
There are highly questionable roughing-the-passer calls seemingly every week, including a pivotal flag that enraged Micah Parsons during the Cowboys-Dolphins game on Dec. 24.
There are myriad mistakes, such as the missed tripping call that allowed the Jets’ game-winning punt return against the Bills in Week 1. The list goes on.
Possible fix: Make NFL referees full-time employees. Many refs hold other jobs during the offseason, and the focus of that time away is not devoted, in large part, to improving their craft. Fox rules expert and former NFL referee Dean Blandino, speaking with The Post’s Steve Serby, recently pointed to more offseason collaboration and training as an area where improvement could be found.
This, however, would require a greater financial investment from the NFL, which is certainly not short on cash, to pay refs throughout the year and require offseason training.
Also, how about some actual consequences for egregiously blown calls? Know how Brad Allen and his crew were reprimanded for their costly mistake? They were assigned Sunday’s Ravens-Steelers game on, you guessed it, national television.
NBA
There are certainly complaints about blown calls, such as Tom Thibodeau’s recent tirade regarding foul calls that were missed for Jalen Brunson. But the NBA’s officiating crisis goes beyond just missed calls.
There is a stark animosity between players and referees, and it’s resulting in fans not being able to see the game’s biggest stars playing.
Nikola Jokic was controversially ejected in the second quarter of the Nuggets-Bulls game on Dec. 12 for arguing with a referee. Jayson Tatum was ejected for “overtly gestur[ing]” toward officials during the Celtics-76ers game on Dec. 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected for making a face at Isaiah Stewart after dunking during the Bucks-Pistons game on Nov. 8.
All appeared to be extremely quick triggers from overly sensitive refs.
Then there is the Chris Paul-Scott Foster fiasco. There is genuine beef between the longtime referee and veteran star. Foster ejected Paul before halftime during a Warriors-Suns game on Nov. 22, the latest episode in their yearslong feud. Paul has called it “personal.”
Possible fix: For starters, Adam Silver should not tolerate any bias or animosity between his refs and specific players. If Foster cannot be professional with Paul, then he should not be allowed to officiate his games — period.
And how about we give players a longer leash for arguing? Or possibly a punishment that doesn’t involve their ejection? It should be extremely rare, not increasingly common — as the aforementioned examples suggest — that a player receives two technical fouls for the same argument. The Fifth Amendment protects against double jeopardy in the legal system. NBA players should not face double jeopardy either.
MLB
The biggest officiating issue facing MLB may be blown balls-and-strikes calls. With the advent of advanced pitch tracking and the on-screen strike-zone box, it has only become more obvious just how frequently umpires appear to miss calls in that department.
Possible fix: It’s simple — automated strike zones. It’s already being tested in the minors. Though it would require fans to sacrifice a large piece of nostalgia, the fact that in 2024 we have means to determine exactly what is a ball and strike on every single pitch should be the priority.
The controversies surrounding the state of officiating is not limited to North American sports leagues.
In international soccer, the introduction of VAR (video assistant referee) has only complicated matters. The officials in charge of using VAR have countless times misapplied the technology and made erroneous calls, and its use has raised questions about what the spirit of rules are. Was it taking large chunks of time to examine the minutiae of certain plays to determine things that are “clear and obvious”? Because that’s what’s happening.
As replays become more available and technology improves, the microscope on referee/umpire errors will only increase. And with every blown call comes questions about why these calls are missed.
It’s up to the leagues to fix it, or face more fury.
Today’s back page
Straight outta the ’90s
There was a throwback feel Wednesday night.
The Knicks and Bulls, two teams that delivered so many memorable moments in the 1990s, met Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden and in front of a national television audience (replete with images of MJ and Ewing throughout the intro) — if it weren’t on ABC, you might expect to hear the classic “Roundball Rock” anthem.
And the Knicks rallied for a 116-100 victory behind Julius Randle’s 35 points and Jalen Brunson’s 31 points and 13 assists, plus Isaiah Hartenstein’s monster 10-point, 20-rebound, 5-block effort.
This current Knicks team, under Tom Thibodeau’s guidance, takes more than a few pages out of those vintage Knicks teams’ playbooks in their identity.
Though they haven’t achieved the same level of success as those Knicks teams that famously clashed with the dynasty Bulls, there are similarities: They play a hard-nosed game and they value defense (they held the Bulls to a very 90s-like 45 points in the second half).
Those rugged qualities only increased with the addition of OG Anunoby, an old-fashioned, all-business player who excels defensively. He finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals as the Knicks improved to 2-0 with their new-look lineup.
In one fourth-quarter sequence, the Knicks missed three consecutive 3-pointers (another throwback), but got their own rebound each time, culminating in a noisy dunk by Anunoby for a 99-91 lead.
It was difficult not to reminisce while watching the win unfold Wednesday night.
Backpedaling in Aaron Rodgers mess
It didn’t take long for Pat McAfee to have to apologize for Aaron Rodgers’ latest controversy.
One day after the Jets quarterback suggested on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Jimmy Kimmel would be included on the soon-to-be-released court documents containing a list linking individuals to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, McAfee claimed Rodgers was just trying to “talk s–t” amid an ongoing feud with the late-night host.
“I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position, but I think Aaron was just trying to talk s–t,” said McAfee, wearing sleeves so you would know he was serious.
Perhaps it was Kimmel’s threat of legal action that prompted McAfee’s apology, or perhaps it was the clear inner-company conflict this has amplified.
Disney owns both ABC, which airs Kimmel’s late-night show, and ESPN, which airs McAfee’s show. That means McAfee gave air time to Rodgers — who gets paid millions for his appearances, The Post’s Andrew Marchand previously reported — to launch harmful allegations against someone who is technically his colleague.
It again puts a spotlight on the delicate manner in which ESPN handles McAfee’s show.
Before every episode, along with a warning that there might be curse words, the show runs the disclaimer: “The following progrum is a collection of stooges talking about happenings in the sports world. It is meant to be comedic informative. The opinions expressed on this show do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of their peers, their boss, or ESPN.”
ESPN can claim the views expressed on the show do not represent the network’s. But that likely does not insulate it from repercussions.
What we’re reading 👀
🏈 As Saquon Barkley admits a “fresh start” has crossed his mind, The Post’s Paul Schwartz explains why it is difficult to envision Barkley re-signing with the Giants for 2024.
🏈 Zach Wilson won’t play Sunday, almost certainly bringing his disastrous Jets days to an end. The Post’s Steve Serby looks at: Where did it go wrong?
🏀 The Nets are in a bad, bad way. After a fifth straight loss (112-101 to the Rockets), they’re talking about “that light at the end of the tunnel.”
🏒 The Rangers are calling up top prospect Brennan Othmann. Welcome to the show.
⚾ The Yankees should make a real run at Blake Snell, writes The Post’s Jon Heyman, even if he ends up using their offer as leverage to get where he really wants.
⚾ Ronny Mauricio, see you in 2025, probably.
😢 The Post’s Mike Vaccaro with a lovely remembrance of late Long Island coaching legend Gus Alfieri.
🏈 The contracts of Phil Simms and others are expiring, The Post’s Andrew Marchand reports, and a shakeup could be coming to CBS’ NFL studio show.
⛳ Rory McIlroy: Whoops, maybe I was too mean about LIV Golf.
⚾ The charges are in against Rays star Wander Franco, and it’s grim stuff.