There is not a sport in the world where referees or officials are popular with the fans. The NBA is no different, and when the referees make mistakes, everyone is quick to call for them to be punished. It’s a difficult job for anyone to do, especially in such a highly emotional environment, but they do sometimes make some mistakes that are difficult to understand.
The officials in the biggest basketball league in the world have come under scrutiny recently after an egregious missed foul call on LeBron James in a massive game. The no-call cost the Los Angeles Lakers a win and led to a huge uproar about the state of refereeing. LeBron James was beside himself, and the NBA referees officially accepted that they got it wrong. But while there are changes that need to be made, some of the things fans are suggesting just won’t have their intended effect.
An NBA Fan Expertly Broke Down Why Fining Referees Will Not Solve Anything
One of the things many fans want to see happen is for the referees to get fined for getting things wrong. On the face of it, the idea makes sense, this should motivate them to make the right calls. However, as a fan on Reddit pointed out well, this idea would only cause the quality of refereeing to drop.
“Right now a popular opinion flowing around is that NBA refs should get fined for their mistakes. I don’t think that makes sense, as it would put extra pressure on people that already aren’t anywhere near perfect at their job. Unless you think the ref crews are literally corrupt and are making mistakes on purpose, that doesn’t make sense. The analogy between players and referees doesn’t work either. Players don’t get fined if they play badly, they get fined if they break rules, that should be the same for refs.”
This makes a lot of sense, very few people get fined for getting things wrong, and even players often make mistakes on the court. And the fan didn’t stop at this, he went on to suggest a better alternative.
“The more reasonable approach would be allowing referees to check replays on plays where a whistle wasn’t used, or allow an extra challenge for no calls. I understand that that adds extra stoppage time to games that are already overly long as is, but there is no other way to make the situation better. Fines won’t magically make referees sharper, it’ll just make them more nervous in dynamic game situations.”
There is no real right answer to any of this, fans will always complain about the officiating when their team loses, however perfect it gets. But the NBA and every sports league should endeavor to make the process as smooth and flawless as possible. Ultimately, no one likes it when a game is settled by the referees instead of the players on the court.
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