Not that I am going to take Impars side. He seems to have an agenda, and I dont. And, in case any of you are wondering, I am not a pro, but I do occasionally wear stripes. But there is an interesting point here.
Lets say, for the sake of argument, that stats were kept on which referees cited which player for fouls. The point above would be correct, that you could not examine those numbers on any given night and determine that a ref had too much zeal or any kind of bias. Just as though you couldnt tell a good player from a bad one by looking at one games stats. But, you could look at a seasons worth of data and maybe find some interesting facts.
For instance, what if a particular ref called fouls on a certain player statistically higher than any other player? Well, the player could be a hack, but what if that player didnt get nearly as many calls from any other ref? What if a ref makes a lot more calls on all players than the norm? What if the number of fouls that a ref was calling had a sudden spike up or down? Were all human, which comes with the liability of bias. This doesnt necessarily mean that there are sinister motives in play here. Perhaps the ref focuses too closely on that player or has a sub-conscious negative sentiment about the player. Perhaps the ref is going through some bad times and that is affecting his work.
I think that if such stats were kept, youd find that for the most part the refs call a fairly consistent and fair season. Indeed, it would be valuable ammunition to refute claims of bias. But, and just as importantly, it would be able to highlight the rare instance of a ref who is not calling a even game. In my opinion, it is in the best interest of the officials and the game to have the ability to identify over zealous or biased refs.
Now, to be fair, I have little at stake here. I seriously doubt that the leagues in which I operate have the resources to track officials stats. But, I am a fan of the game, and I am all for anything which improves the quality of the game. I am sure that you could find a lot of positive aspects of having your stats tracked, including being able to tell a coach, hey, I have Td you up the least of anyone calling this league, so count your blessings and get back to your bench!
My $0.02
- Duck
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