New Officiating Study.
 

I read this article in The Babylon Bee:

https://babylonbee.com/news/new-stud...JV2YqPkcCTa-68

MTD, Sr.

Bias ...
 

Researchers interviewed hundreds of players, coaches, and fans of all teams involved and asked them to rate the fairness of the officials on anonymous surveys. "We found strong evidence of referee bias against your teams in every single survey ... This was true at every level, from pee-wee to the pros, and even at the Olympics. Whichever teams you were rooting for, the refs were definitely against them."

Not sure if this is "tongue in cheek" or not, but based on the group surveyed and the question asked, it's totally believable.

I consider myself, as far as I know, and to the best of my ability, completely unbiased as a basketball official. Just for perception purposes, I still, almost twenty years after retirement, block out the middle school where I taught and coached, and only recently unblocked the high school in the school system where I taught and coached.

Oddly, whenever I "channel surf" and come across any sporting event where I don't have a favorite team playing (for example, this year's World Series), I always root for the team that's behind when I "tune in". If I turn on the television and the Astros are up five to two in the fifth inning, I root for the Phillies. The next night, if I turn on the television and the Phillies are up six to one in the sixth inning, I root for the Astros.

As far as I know, to the best of my ability, I'm able to avoid this "underdog" bias in the basketball games that I officiate.

The Babylon Bee is like The Onion...if The Onion weren't funny.

This is satire, but the writer didn't have anything humorous, or satirical, to add beyond the headline.

This is a joke, but I fail to see the humor in it.

Remember, 99% of the folks who read the satirical article are not sports officials. It's geared toward the lowest common denominator, biased sports fans. Additionally, over the years I've seen plenty of outrageous comments from sports officials concerning the officiating of their favorite teams' games.

The Onion is a liberal/progressive satire online newspaper and The Babylon Bee is a conservative satire online newspaper.

MTD, Sr.

I actually find it kind of funny because it clearly is saying that they are against your team. It does not mean a specific team, it means "your team." It took a little to get the joke, but clearly a joke. Nothing was said that was substantive or even specific. ;)

Peace

Which means, if there are fans of both teams present, they're against both teams, trying to make both of them lose. If someone can find a way an official can do that, I'd love to hear about it.

To show how absurd fans can be.

Back in the mid-1990s, our YMCA had a Sunday afternoon men's league at one of its branches. We had a hard fought game between two all black teams and my partner was white like me. After the game a wife from one of the players of the losing team ran up to my partner and me and told us that we were to two most racists honkies she had ever seen, :eek:!

MTD, Sr.

I agree that it's nonsense. Both teams are black, so it makes no sense to be racist if you are favoring black people over (drumroll please) black people.