The Referee Rant

Once again, we have gotten through another NFL season and a champion has been crowned. Congratulations, Kansas City on your Super Bowl win and congratulations Philadelphia for winning the NFC. Congratulations to the fans, as well, for having an entertaining championship game to watch. 

And what is EVERYONE talking about today? NONE of that stuff above. They are talking about the referees. Again. As always. Reams of memes with Mahomes trading postgame jerseys with a ref or a referee wearing a red and white striped uniform shirt. And what is the narrative that causes this? Most of it is just whining from the losing team's fans and the overarching theme I hear is either "this or that wasn't a penalty" or that it was a penalty but "shouldn't be called at such an important time in such an important game"! 

Excuse me, but WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!

Not to be a rules stickler, but if something shouldn't be called, it shouldn't be a penalty in the first place. One of the oldest cliches about the game is that "holding could be called on every play". Well, you know what? If it could be, then either call it on every play or CHANGE THE FUCKING RULE that defines what quantifies holding! Offensive OR defensive!

And frankly, the referee that "lets 'em play" based on the situation defines the term of being a bad referee. If it is a penalty that one would call in the first quarter in week 5, it is still a penalty in the 4th quarter of a tight playoff game. The rule book defines the parameters of the various penalties. If you are not calling them the same in ALL situations, then why even have a rule book at all?

Not calling them the same based on situation is exactly WHY no one trusts the integrity of the game's arbiters. Because what would prevent them from playing favorites or simply being bought to throw games when it is perfectly acceptable (and actually PREFFERED by most fans) to just NOT call the game by its written rules based on "situation"? 

And while it might not benefit the league to have one team or another lose or win or even make a championship game (as many speciously argue), it certainly would benefit the folks at the sports books who are raking in the cash from the very people complaining. 

Plus, lastly, it would benefit the players to have the games called with rules integrity. James Bradberry might not have held Ju Ju Smith-Shuster had he been assured that the ref watching the play was going to call the game by the rules. Instead, it is most likely that a literal lifetime of being told and taught by everyone in the sport to expect that the officials would "let 'em play" in situations like this is what led to his actions. That or the realization that he was just going to be beat on the play and thus he made the instant decision that a penalty was worth it in the situation. 

The referees make split second decisions based on what they know of the rules (WAY more than the laymen watching) and what they see. Why add the additional factor of game situation into things to make the issue even more difficult to judge? Sometimes refs are wrong. That is a mistake, which is acceptable. What it isn't is arbitrary, which isn't.