The ref scandal broke before I stopped posting (bar exam, vacation) almost two weeks ago. The first reports were definitely breathless--it's the end of the NBA! No one will watch the NBA anymore! The sky is falling! And I certainly thought it was a big deal. But now, only two weeks later, I need to say, "Who cares?"
After the first day or two, I don't think I've had a conversation with anyone about it. Barring evidence that a number of other referees were also involved or that Donaghy really did throw a playoff game, I don't think anyone is really going to care once the new season rolls around. You don't let one bad apple ruin the barrel, or whatever old maxim you want to use. Anyway, I thought I'd pick back up where I left off, but I doubt I'll be talking much about the Donaghy matter from here on out unless something really crazy happens.
On to more fun topics...like the big Kevin Garnett trade that happened while I was away!
Showing posts with label Referees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Referees. Show all posts
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Hey, Ref, who's paying you to make calls like that?
Reffing NBA games is tough--a foul probably occurs on every play, so what ends up happening is referees let some fouls go without being called, and you hope that the referees are just consistent in the calls that they do make. As a fan, it can be unbelievably frustrating to see on a replay a foul that isn't called, especially since you don't really see all the other (similar) fouls that were also not called since replays of those plays were not necessarily shown.
With all that discretion, referees have a huge ability to impact a game. The possibility of a ref intentionally influencing a game is a major problem, an act that could fundamentally threaten the integrity of games. According to this report, NBA point-shaving no longer seems like a bad possibility, it appears that it has very likely already occurred over the past two seasons. Most likely, the point-shaving will have impacted the betting outcome and not the winner of a game, but that doesn't make the cheating any less serious. I'll post updates on this story as I see them.
With all that discretion, referees have a huge ability to impact a game. The possibility of a ref intentionally influencing a game is a major problem, an act that could fundamentally threaten the integrity of games. According to this report, NBA point-shaving no longer seems like a bad possibility, it appears that it has very likely already occurred over the past two seasons. Most likely, the point-shaving will have impacted the betting outcome and not the winner of a game, but that doesn't make the cheating any less serious. I'll post updates on this story as I see them.
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