NBA experiment

[TSYouthSports]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

How about tennis? There are up to 11 officials for tennis, with 2 players.

Using tennis as a reference, we should have 55 officials.

As a contrast, soccer with 1 head ref on the field with 2 assistant ref's on opposite end touch (side) lines. 50-100 yds wide x 100-130 yds long.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by TSYouthSports

As a contrast, soccer with 1 head ref on the field with 2 assistant ref's on opposite end touch (side) lines. 50-100 yds wide x 100-130 yds long.

And IMO, it's not enough.

[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by TSYouthSports

As a contrast, soccer with 1 head ref on the field with 2 assistant ref's on opposite end touch (side) lines. 50-100 yds wide x 100-130 yds long.

Except that isn't accurate. At higher levels, all games have a fourth official who helps manage the touch line and provide advice via headset to the refree. (And sometimes a 5th, though the 5th official's job is generally nothing beyond being handy in case one of the assistant referees gets hurt.) And in some professional leagues, they use two Additional Assistant Referees, who are near the goal with the primary role of helping to identify fouls in the penalty area (they don't have flags, but are miked up with the referee). So that gets you to six actively involved referees in a UEFA match (plus one waiting for someone to get hurt). And FIFA is experimenting with adding Video Assistant Referees as well -- it looks like that is going to happen, and will involve at least two, so that one can be watching the current game while the other is reviewing replays if needed.

IMHO, the clarity of super-slo-mo review in HD has dramatically changed expectations at the professional level from fans, and trickled to those of us who referee other levels. (I'm a soccer referee and basketball dad.) I think players (and parents) used to be far more accepting of rough justice than they are in the world of precise television. When I was watching games on TV as a kid, you could only see some much detail -- now you can count nose hairs or the blades of grass between a football receiver's foot and the paint of the line. And mommy or daddy with the iphone is there to prove a mistake was made.