Last year, the NFL underwent a well-publicized lockout with the NFL player’s association that threatened to eliminate most, if not all, of the regular season and postseason. This year, the NFL has a lockout with an entirely different and oft-overlooked group of employees; the black-and-white referees that patrol the sidelines and attempt to instill order into the most chaotic mainstream sport in America.
As a result of the officiating lockout, the NFL hired dozens of replacement officials from college and high school football, but widespread skepticism over the credibility of the replacement referees threatens to cast a dent into one of the most profitable entertainment industries in America.
In Week 1 of the young NFL season, the officials had few noticeable mistakes. However, in Week 2, a series of costly officiating errors and enhanced the regular officials’ bargaining position against the NFL. Referees made improper ball placements, incompletely explained flag rulings, incorrectly called penalties, and often reviewed plays that most viewers could call from their living rooms.
The list of grievances against referees manifested itself in an officiating issue in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 24-23 victory over the Ravens in Week 2. On second-and-1 in the red zone, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick dropped back and threw an incomplete pass before Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata knocked Vick to the turf. The officials ruled the play as a fumble and that the Ravens had recovered the ball. A quick replay revealed that Vick clearly made a forward passing motion and that Ngata failed to force a fumble, but the officials spent quite a bit of time reviewing the play before reversing their initial call and proving millions of confused fans right.
However, that incident paled into comparison to an integrity issue that cast the objectivity of the replacement referees into question. Just hours before the Saints-Panthers game was set to begin, the NFL removed side judge Brian Stropolo before the game after the league discovered through Facebook that Stropolo was an avid Saints fan. The NFL will not permit the new officiating pariah to continue officiating until the league thoroughly reviews the incident and determines whether or not to punish Stropolo for his misdeeds.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has commended the performance of the replacement referees and has no intention of reaching over the bargaining table and setting aside an unnecessary issue that threatens the integrity and credibility of the multibillion-dollar league that he presides over. The NFL’s popularity continues to rise, but when players, coaches, and fans alike spend time debating the validity of the officiating rather than the thrills of the game, one can easily see the obvious downsides to allowing this petty lockout to end.