Sports & Recreation >
Football (Other)
Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedThe home team gets the best calls from referees in a football game
Results so far:
| Agree | 51% | 29 votes | Total: 57 votes | |
| Disagree | 49% | 28 votes |
Agree
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesI am in agreement with the home team getting the calls but I want to point out that I think it's also dependant on what level the games are being played at.
At the professional level, if refs show home team biases they wouldn't have the ability to continue working for long. There are too many governing bodies looking out for their leagues to allow the shady antics to happen, and if in a case a referee does step over the line like the NBA ref Tim Donaghy did investigations take place and the leagues pay that much more attention to their referees.
I would say college sports tend to be monitored like professional sports. The difference between college and professional sports is that a referee will stick with a particular conference and make calls based on the way those teams within that conference play and when it comes to stepping outside that conference they tend to call the game like the two teams are still in the same conference. Let me give you an example: Big Ten referees are called out to do a bowl game (football) between a Big East team and a WAC (Western Athletic Conference) team. The Big Ten plays a more physical type of ball and the line can mix it up a bit more like a Big East team would where as a WAC team likes to put the ball in the air and run up and down the field more. You would possible see more calls against the WAC team than you would the Big East team only because that's the style of football those refs are used to seeing. If you notice, before each bowl game they announce which conference the Refs are from and who that might benefit. I don't feel there is any intent to do harm it just boils down to a comfort level for the referees.
At the high school and youth level you can really have some home team bias and it typically revolves around where the referees live. The referees are not going to make too many calls against a team in their community because they obviously live in it and have to talk and see the people in the community on a daily basis. They also have to deal with the fact that there are some crazies out there that takes youth and high school sports to the extreme. You hear threats being made, names being called and these are people just trying to make a few extra dollars that tend to love being a referee.
I do believe home team bias does happen at the youth and high school level of play but I don't think it occurs all the time. I think for most part each referee goes into a game intending on calling everything fairly, giving the kids a chance to play and win.
Learn more about this author, Keith Coburn.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Disagree
No matter what sport you are talking about, referees' judgements will always be in question. In almost every case, they are expected to make a split-second decision that can affect the outcome of the game. In football especially, the referees are under tremendous pressure to get the call right the first time or else face criticism from the fans and media. Not only that, but their jobs are at stake if they consistently make the wrong calls. It is for these reasons that referees do not show favoritism toward either team in football, not even the home team.
As an avid football fan, I have attended dozens of football games and watched hundreds more on television. There are plenty of bad or questionable calls made during the game, but they are not always in favor of the home team. If they were, you would never hear the boos and jeers of the home crowd. I am a very knowledgeable football fan, and I tend to make the calls before the referees even throw the flags. I analyze every call, and I can promise that the calls do not go in favor of the home team any more often than the away team. One great example of this is the BYU vs. Washington college football game that was played in September of 2008. Washington scored with two seconds left in the fourth quarter and would have tied the game with the following extra point. However, a flag was thrown penalizing the celebration after the touchdown. The extra point was then moved back 15 yards and ended up being blocked by BYU, resulting in a BYU win, 28-27. This game got a lot of media attention because of the call the referee made. The only celebration was the player throwing the football behind his head and hugging his teammates. This is a typical celebration and is never flagged. Why is this particular call important? Washington was the home team. If home teams get the best calls from the referees, there is no way this celebration would have been penalized.
Referees are paid to study the game and understand every aspect of it. Not only that, but promotions and special considerations, such as refereeing playoff and championship games (or bowl games in the instance of college football) depend on them making the right calls consistantly and not showing bias to either team. If referees were given a longer amount of time to make such calls, the right call would be made every time. However, as previously stated, they are required to make split-second decisions. The crazy thing is, in most cases they do make the right calls. Either way, favoritism is not shown for either team.
Learn more about this author, Josh Johnson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Difference of opinion? Debate now.
- Football (Other)
- Should the NFL change the overtime rule?
