photo credit: Rylee Bokesch
“What is that call ref”, “Are you blind!!!”, “@#$%”.
Over the years, the frequency of such sayings in the sports world has been quite abundant in all varieties of different sporting events. Whether it has been sports viewers watching the questionable tactics of Mike Tyson biting his gloves instead of throwing jabs, off of what Tyson called a “biting fixation” against Jake Paul, or NFL fans watching the Kansas City Chiefs win games off of some rather questionable late game crucial calls, fans of all sports have become increasingly judgmental of the legitimacy of their favorite pastimes.
When a game of any kind is close in today’s sports viewing age, it seems the most reliable and easy scapegoat to blame for a heartbreaking loss of a favorite team is on the officiating team overseeing the game. I remember my first introduction to such an instance was in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl between The Ohio State University football team and the Clemson University football team. The game that ultimately ended 29-23 in favor of Clemson had major uproar after its conclusion due to an overturned forced fumble by Jeff Okudah which led to a touchdown that would’ve had the Buckeyes up 30-29 if the call was not overturned to an incomplete pass by the referee. Across social media were complaints out for the refs’ heads claiming Clemson had a clear advantage in their victory.
But are refs always at fault though?
All of these contentious situations continue to question the legitimacy of these sports including the rampant gambling ever-present now.
There’s a fine line between cheating and rigging in sports, cheating is usually conducted by the active player, whereas rigging is usually performed by a third party— unfortunately both have been prevalent for decades. A famous instance involving cheating includes the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds where the White Sox were accused of purposely losing in order to cash in on a sports gambling scheme.
However, a famous incident of rigging is in the case of former NBA referee Tim Donaghy. Donaghy purposely altered games he officiated to cash in on gambling bets. Is it a coincidence that famous examples of both instances all go back to gambling?
In 2018 The US Supreme Court legalized sports gambling and since then 38 states have followed suit in legalizing the activity. What once was subject of public scrutiny and condemnation across nearly all american sports associations, is now gobbled up by nearly every league in official branding partnerships, sportsbooks, and sponsored picks.
For example, the MLB which banned the league’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose from Cooperstown Hall of Fame for sports gambling while still playing for the Cincinnati Reds, now has an exclusive betting partnership with popular betting site Fanduel.
Don’t get me wrong. My problem isn’t with the general American public making some quick cash. If someone has the money be my guest; I simply believe the more gambling flowing into sports leagues can lead to a significant decrease in legitimacy of the leagues we love. For instance, according to Scripps News a sports data firm called Sportradar found that in 2021 60 US pro sports matches showed signs of suspicious activity. That number rose to over 200 in 2022.
It’s not just the matches that can lose legitimacy either, what’s stopping head execs from ESPN, which created its own sportsbook called ESPN BET, from creating a month’s long TV campaign across all their social media and television debate shows to sway public opinion of an athlete to get them higher votes across award races? Anonymous bets could be placed on an athlete and the majority of viewers wouldn’t even question it because the “experts” are clamoring why an athlete deserves a certain prestige that can be betted upon.
The next time you watch an NFL game think to yourself, was that just a slip up, a common human error by the referee or is their money pouring in behind the call.
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