tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/referees-11026/articlesReferees – The Conversation2023-10-26T21:36:55Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2164192023-10-26T21:36:55Z2023-10-26T21:36:55ZA red card could ruin the Rugby World Cup final – the game needs fairer, safer rulings on the field<p>In the 46th minute of the 2023 <a href="https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2023">Rugby World Cup</a> (RWC) pool match between contenders France and pretenders Namibia, with the rampaging Europeans ahead by a thumping 54 points to nil, the wilting <a href="https://www.rugby-heaven.co.uk/collections/namibia">Welwitschias</a> forfeited a player to a yellow card. </p>
<p>Within eight minutes, the card had bled to red. The mismatch worsened. Close to the final whistle, with France now up 96-0, the Namibian desert turned yellower still. Now 15 cats chased 13 mice for the dying embers of a farce.</p>
<p>What’s the point? </p>
<p>As a legal specialist in conflict resolution and mediation, I argue there has to be a better way. Rugby rules are <a href="https://www.world.rugby/the-game/laws/law/1">rightly known</a> as the “laws” of the game, and they are essentially designed to resolve the conflicts inherent in a physical contest over an oval ball. There is substantial crossover with systems for conflict resolution in other areas of life and work.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.world.rugby/news/885413/wayne-barnes-to-referee-rugby-world-cup-2023-final">Wayne Barnes</a>, who will referee the RWC final between New Zealand and South Africa this weekend, is also a barrister by trade. As such, he will know where the onus should lie when critical decisions need to be taken in a trial between two elite teams.</p>
<h2>Unfair and unsafe</h2>
<p>To be a riveting spectacle, the power sport of rugby must be as safe and fair as possible for each of a match’s 80 minutes. That means 15 playing 15 at all times. The spectacle is lost whenever there is a mismatch in numbers. </p>
<p>In a collision contest, 14 against 15 hurts the game; 13 against 15 is unwatchable – and dangerous. </p>
<p>As one would expect, it is generally the weaker of the two teams, already struggling to put up a defence, that concedes penalties and haemorrhages players. A valiant team can hold out against greater numbers, but only exceptionally. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-will-win-the-2023-rugby-world-cup-this-algorithm-uses-10-000-simulations-to-rank-the-contenders-212598">Who will win the 2023 Rugby World Cup? This algorithm uses 10,000 simulations to rank the contenders</a>
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<p>Commonly, the game dynamics are blighted and the depleted team has points racked up against them. Game over, fun over.</p>
<p>It is also unsafe. Rugby is an impact sport, with bodies being put on the line. It promotes physical resilience in the face of what are essentially authorised assaults. Players competing at the top level are playing at their limit.</p>
<p>To oblige them to overextend is to invite bodily collapse. That is not a good idea. Heart failure ranks with brain trauma as a risk.</p>
<h2>Bad rules mean bad results</h2>
<p>Some sendoffs are indisputable, such as for the <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/report/_/gameId/596171/league/164205">dangerous tackle</a> on French captain Antoine Dupont during the Namibia game. It meant a barely recovered Dupont faced off against South Africa in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/15/france-south-africa-rugby-world-cup-quarter-final-match-report">quarterfinal</a>, a factor that may have accounted for France’s knife-edge loss in that game.</p>
<p>But many yellow cards are hotly disputed. Knowledgeable rugby commentators, coaches, players and former referees often assert – with evidence – that a call at the <a href="https://passport.world.rugby/injury-prevention-and-risk-management/breakdown-ready/breakdown-explained/">breakdown</a> could just as well have gone the other way. </p>
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<p>Some yellow card offences are risible. If they are specified in the rules, the rules need revisiting. Attempted intercepts of passes are a case in point: if they result in a knock-on, it warrants a scrum, not a sending off. The attacking team must learn to pass better.</p>
<p>Dubious referee calls resulting in sendoffs and mismatches – even when made in good faith – can and do ruin matches. Sometimes there is redemption as the game rolls on. Mostly there is not.</p>
<p>Essentially, good refereeing is about good dispute resolution. Yes, rules are central to the integrity of the game. When calls are marginal and the impacts disproportionate, however, the rules need to change. </p>
<p>Balance in competition needs to be maintained. Justice in sport for the players and fans demands that no one be robbed in the result.</p>
<h2>Rugby can learn from other codes</h2>
<p>The Australian Football League (AFL) – “Aussie Rules” – <a href="https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2022/03/28/6d92ed7c-efc2-44dc-86bc-9fa1d9b338ad/2022-Laws-of-the-Game-Booklet.pdf">does it better</a>: 18 play 18 at all times, across four quarters. Players are cited for fouls. Territory is awarded in real time to those offended against. </p>
<p>Each week of the playing season the AFL tribunal assesses the citations and dishes out penalties where warranted – typically suspensions – based on thorough, defended inspection. </p>
<p>Umpires are spared the curse of making poor calls that could unduly affect game outcomes. Fans are not given more cause to be apoplectic.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/professional-mens-rugby-has-major-financial-issues-which-need-to-be-tackled-207376">Professional men's rugby has major financial issues which need to be tackled</a>
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<p>Rugby union would be improved if sendings off were reserved for genuinely bad actors. Yellow and even red cards may may well be warranted – called in real time by the referee, assistant referees and the television match official (<a href="https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/tmo-television-match-official-explained-88934">TMO</a>).</p>
<p>But to preserve safety and the spectacle, those exiled should immediately be replaced from the reserves bench. Always 15 on 15.</p>
<p>If the yellow card offence occurs in the <a href="https://www.rugbycoachweekly.net/rugby-drills-and-skills/attack/red-zone-madness-rugby-coaching-session">attacking red zone</a>, a penalty try should be awarded, with the conversion kick to be taken from the touchline. If the offence occurs elsewhere, rugby could borrow from AFL, with a penalty given 50 metres closer to the offending team’s goal line (up to the five-metre line).</p>
<p>Where a red card offence is adjudged, the player should be ejected and have to face a post-match tribunal. A replacement is, of course, needed on the field. No matter where on the field the crime occurred, a penalty try should be awarded between the posts.</p>
<h2>Hopes for a fair final</h2>
<p>Until there is reform, however, the onus of proof is always on the prosecution – in this case the match officials – just as it is in a courtroom. </p>
<p>This will be especially important at the Stade de France in Paris this weekend when the All Blacks and South Africa both go for a <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/500877/all-blacks-and-springboks-chase-history-in-rwc-final">record fourth Rugby World Cup title</a>.</p>
<p>In the event of an “incident” – and there will be several – we must hope the benefit of the doubt applies, and 15 continue to play 15. Only if the case is beyond doubt on the visible evidence should there be an unlevel playing field for ten or more minutes.</p>
<p>Let the show go on, intact. For rugby heaven’s sake.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216419/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Clive Thompson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A conflict resolution expert – and rugby fan – explains how the game can restore spectacle and avoid farcical and dangerous mismatches due to players being sent off.Clive Thompson, Research Fellow, Labour, Development & Governance Unit, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1641962021-07-09T12:33:56Z2021-07-09T12:33:56ZWhat the Euro 2020 referees can teach the Premier League<p>The performances of the referees during the Euro 2020 tournament have been almost universally <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/30/refereeing-and-var-among-the-unlikely-highlights-of-euro-2020">praised</a>. They have contributed to an extremely exciting tournament. So instead of controversial refereeing decisions, the focus has been on the quality of the football being played and the return of supporters to stadiums. </p>
<p>Referees have not been routinely criticised (as is usually the case), even when a questionable decision divides pundits. For instance, the penalty awarded to England for the foul on Raheem Sterling in the semi-final against <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12351311/england-2-1-denmark-kasper-hjulmand-bitter-over-raheem-sterling-penalty-call-in-euro-2020-semi-final">Denmark</a>. </p>
<p>The games have benefited from the quality of refereeing. So much so that many, like ex-footballer Gary Lineker, have asked the Premier League to take note.</p>
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<p>Perhaps the acceptance of the odd mistake is because there have been so few errors by referees in the first place. Perhaps this acceptance is also because the media, pundits and commentators are fundamentally pleased that the tournament is taking place at all after its postponement due to COVID-19. Maybe the refs are being given some leeway because of these factors. Nevertheless, they have been very consistent in this competition. </p>
<h2>Improved use of VAR</h2>
<p>Refereeing decisions at Euro 2020 have been clear and the laws of the game have been applied in the same way, no matter the referee, their country of origin or the nationality of the teams on the pitch. </p>
<p>Research has suggested that this is not always the case at major <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Elite-Soccer-Referees-Officiating-in-the-Premier-League-La-Liga-and-Serie/Webb/p/book/9780367231170">international tournaments</a>. Indeed, referees at international tournaments are often criticised for not officiating in the same way, and this is usually due to the fact that national leagues and competitions are different.</p>
<p>Euro 2020 appears to have bucked this trend and there are a number of lessons that competitions, such as the Premier League, could take from this to assist referees moving into next season. </p>
<p>At Euro 2020, Video Assistant Referees (VAR) have been used much more sparingly and has been consigned to background checks of contentious incidents for the majority of the matches. A minimal number of on-pitch decisions have been overturned. The decision has to be clear and the error obvious. </p>
<p>This approach maintains the authority of the on-field referee. It might sound like a minor factor, but if we remember back to the last Premier League season, VAR was front and centre in a significant number of matches and poorly received by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/02/var-given-thumbs-down-by-fans-for-premier-league-study">supporters</a>, with on-field decisions overturned regularly. This arguably eroded the confidence of the on-field referees and the trust in these referees from players, supporters and the media. </p>
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<p>VAR intervention was not always perceived as accurate and referees were asked to review the monitor at the side of the pitch more often than in Euro 2020. The infrequency of such incidents during Euro 2020 has been far less intrusive for supporters, both at the stadium and watching the matches on <a href="https://theconversation.com/goal-or-is-it-how-technology-and-not-just-var-is-changing-sport-121838">television</a>. </p>
<h2>Let it flow</h2>
<p>For the Premier League, this lack of VAR intrusion should be a template for the future. For instance, the use of the offside lines, superimposed onto the screen to measure the body position of players to judge whether they were offside, were often criticised due to perceived <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55139175">inaccuracies</a>. These decisions also took too much time to arrive in the Premier League, in Euro 2020 this has not been an issue, with decisions often made more <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/var-euro-2020-referees-uefa-b1869715.html">rapidly</a>. </p>
<p>It seems referees have also been instructed to let the game flow wherever possible. Consequently, matches have resulted in high numbers of goals and in high quality football, such as the matches between Croatia and Spain and France and Switzerland (both ending 3-5). </p>
<p>The instructions from European football’s governing body <a href="https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/">Uefa</a> to the referees selected for the tournament have obviously been clear and therefore interpreted in the same way by all referees, no matter the match or the teams involved. It shows that VAR can be utilised and that clear and obvious errors can be dealt with and corrected – but only when absolutely necessary. </p>
<p>Other national leagues should take note. Not only has this approach improved the spectacle for fans, but it has meant that referees – and their decisions – are not constantly the topic of conversation. If referees have been commented upon during this tournament, it has more often than not been from a positive perspective. How refreshing would that be in the Premier League next season?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164196/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Webb does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Premier League could learn a thing or two from Euro 2020’s referees.Tom Webb, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1387222020-05-15T07:50:39Z2020-05-15T07:50:39ZTwo refs are better than one, so why does the NRL want to drop one?<p>Plans to kick-start the sporting season with a <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/04/22/nrl-definitely-restarting-on-may-28-clubs-to-resume-training-soon-pearce/">return to rugby league games</a> later this month could be stalled by a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-14/coronavirus-nrl-referees-union-lodge-complaint-to-fair-work/12248350">row over referees</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/05/13/commission-makes-call-one-ref-plan-finalised-for-2020/">NRL confirmed this week</a> it wants to drop the two-referee system that has been in play for more than a decade.</p>
<p>But referees are not happy about the last-minute decision. They have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-14/coronavirus-nrl-referees-union-lodge-complaint-to-fair-work/12248350">lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission</a>. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">Split-second decisions with little praise: so what does it take to ref a game of NRL</a>
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<p>While they are mindful of the wider interests of all stakeholders in the game, they say reverting to a single referee has enormous implications for the pace of the game.</p>
<h2>Not one but two refs</h2>
<p>Under the two-referee system, a lead and an assist referee make decisions in partnership with their two touch judges.</p>
<p>A matchday referee coach and a senior review official in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/nrl-video-refs-can-still-make-the-call-even-if-theyre-not-at-the-game-51897">centralised video bunker</a> in Sydney provide further support.</p>
<p>During play the lead referee manages roughly 80% of the time, and the assist (or “pocket”) referee 20%. This system was introduced in 2009 to lessen the physical stress on referees and to try to eliminate the grapple and wrestling holds that happen in the ruck when players are tackled.</p>
<p>The two-referee system certainly ticked all the boxes to begin with, as it <a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">allowed NRL referees</a> to physically manage around 282 rucks per game, 36 kicks in play and 38 restarts.</p>
<p>It provided immediate clarity and confidence at key times for both the lead and assist referee.</p>
<p>The game was <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/29/nrl-referees-boss-gerard-sutton-defends-one-ref-system-and-offside-penalties-crackdown/">played faster</a> by having the pocket referee handle the ruck. This meant the lead referee didn’t have to continually glance or run back to control this space.</p>
<p>Furthermore, under the two-referee system, the game became more fluent as it allowed each player’s athleticism to entertain the fans.</p>
<h2>Drop that second ref</h2>
<p>So why does the NRL and Australian Rugby League Commission want to scrap the two-referee model? What evidence has been put forward to judge whether reverting to a one-referee system will work?</p>
<p>ARL Commission chairman <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-14/coronavirus-nrl-referees-union-lodge-complaint-to-fair-work/12248350">Peter V'landys says</a> the overwhelming majority of fans in a 2019 survey wanted the competition to return to using one on-field referee to make the game more <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2020-peter-vlandys-vs-referees-onereferee-rule-rugby-league-rule-changes-may-28-restart/news-story/e5c9b47842513309ff5ab1d7bd588783">unpredictable and entertaining</a>.</p>
<p>That’s hardly solid evidence to say the game would be better played with one referee rather than two.</p>
<p>The notion put forward by V'landys that two refs are a luxury is underscored by estimates that reverting to one referee could save the NRL about <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-referees-head-to-court-and-threaten-strike-action-over-rule-change-20200514-p54swo.html">$3 million</a>.</p>
<h2>Not happy refs</h2>
<p>But the Professional Rugby League Match Officials (PRLMO) say they were <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2020-peter-vlandys-vs-referees-onereferee-rule-rugby-league-rule-changes-may-28-restart/news-story/e5c9b47842513309ff5ab1d7bd588783">not consulted</a> about replacing the two-referee system.</p>
<p>In defence of this system they also say the assist referee calls more than 80% of illegal tackles and play-the-ball infringements (a method for bringing the ball back into play after a tackle, in which the tackled player is allowed to stand up and heel the ball behind them to their team-mate). </p>
<p>Furthermore, <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/29/nrl-referees-boss-gerard-sutton">figures published by the NRL</a> in 2018 show 38% of all play-the-balls in World Cup games, where a one-referee system operates, were classified as very slow and took more than four seconds to complete.</p>
<p>So what’s best for fans and those who love the game? How should the NRL settle the debate about whether the one- or two-referee system should be the way of the future?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/blow-that-whistle-seven-reasons-you-should-respect-the-ref-in-the-nrl-grand-final-103770">Blow that whistle: seven reasons you should respect the ref in the NRL Grand Final</a>
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<p>We need a proper examination that includes the experiences of current and past NRL referees, combined with their physical and technical data, as authentic evidence for the NRL to decide whether a one-referee system will be any better than the two-referee model.</p>
<p>The NRL must be prepared to invest in this research to provide real-world insights into any benefits and limitations of both referee systems. That would allow any future developments to be based on fact.</p>
<p>Without a sound base of knowledge and a complete picture of what constitutes the work of NRL referees, I believe any attempts to select, develop and promote one system over the other will be limited at best and fundamentally flawed at worst.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138722/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The two-referee system was introduced to improve the flow of the game. So where’s the evidence to say dropping one ref would be any better for the game?Dr Kath O'Brien, Lecturer - QUT - Faculty of Health (School Exercise & Nutrition Sciences), Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1260862019-10-31T23:10:31Z2019-10-31T23:10:31ZWhat really causes home field advantage – and why it’s on the decline<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299730/original/file-20191031-187903-14hpp2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=19%2C68%2C2497%2C1603&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Washington Nationals celebrate their World Series win in front of fans of the Houston Astros.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-World-Series-Nationals-Astros-Baseball/b182d8db09ae4c2faf5a7352906bbc83/10/0">AP Photo/Matt Slocum</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Never before has the away team won every single game in the World Series, but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/sports/baseball/world-series-home-teams.html">that’s exactly what happened</a> this year.</p>
<p>When the Washington Nationals won Game 7 in Houston to clinch the series against the Houston Astros, it marked the seventh straight road team win, which begs the question: What ever happened to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/donyaeger/2019/10/29/no-place-like-home-the-houston-astros-washington-nationals-and-when-home-field-advantage-might-hurt-more-than-it-helps/#454da59d769d">home field advantage</a>?</p>
<p>I’m a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mVj8o7gAAAAJ&hl=en">professor of computing and information</a>, and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0168716">my own</a> research – <a href="https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.aoas/1542078053">as well as other research</a> – clearly supports the presence of an edge that comes from playing at home.</p>
<p>But what causes the home field advantage? The answer remains unclear, but several hypotheses have been proposed. While <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-reveals-the-value-of-an-assist-in-basketball-113893">my focus is on the NBA</a>, these arguments can apply to other sports, including baseball. Having said that, <a href="https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.aoas/1542078053">baseball is the sport where the home field advantage is the least pronounced</a> among the four most popular sports in the U.S.</p>
<h2>The crowd has nothing to do with it</h2>
<p>Many sports fans believe that <a href="https://sites.duke.edu/soundscapes/2015/11/21/noise-exposure-in-sports-studying-how-noise-affects-fans-players-and-personnel-in-stadium-settings/">crowd noise has a direct impact</a> on player performance. </p>
<p>While no one can ever be sure what’s going on in a player’s head when the opposing team’s fans get loud, the data show that players aren’t <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/201130/scorecasting-by-tobias-j-moskowitz-and-l-jon-wertheim/">particularly fazed by boos during an away game</a>.</p>
<p>I analyzed both home and away free-throw shooting of all the players for the NBA’s 2018-19 season. Free throws provide a controlled setting that isolates the home crowd as the only externality potentially affecting the shot.</p>
<p>The results indicated there is no evidence that players perform differently on free throws whether they’re at home or playing away. </p>
<p>In a similar argument for the NFL, the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/1/22/7871519/seattle-seahawks-12th-man-super-bowl-patriots">common perception is that a loud crowd will make it more difficult for visiting players</a> to hear the play that’s called, and this will lead to confusion and delayed reactions from players.</p>
<p>But if crowd noise really did have this effect, you’d expect more false start penalties to be called on the visiting team. This <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nfls-home-field-advantage-is-real-but-why/">does not happen</a>.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299562/original/file-20191030-165458-1blw711.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299562/original/file-20191030-165458-1blw711.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299562/original/file-20191030-165458-1blw711.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299562/original/file-20191030-165458-1blw711.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299562/original/file-20191030-165458-1blw711.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299562/original/file-20191030-165458-1blw711.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299562/original/file-20191030-165458-1blw711.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The crowds didn’t affect basketball players in the author’s study, but referee bias did.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Albion-Michigan-St-Basketball/2599b58e61f04095a61938ef4708f917/5/0">AP Photo/Carlos Osorio</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Referee bias and traveling</h2>
<p>While the crowd appears to have no or very little effect on players’ performance, that might not be the case for the referees.</p>
<p>Several compelling data points support the hypothesis that <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/201130/scorecasting-by-tobias-j-moskowitz-and-l-jon-wertheim/">a large portion of the home edge is due to officiating bias</a> in favor of the home team in the form of subjective calls.</p>
<p>For example, in basketball, the number of fouls charged to a team – and consequently the number of free throws awarded – are subject to referee bias. I analyzed the data from the 2018-19 NBA season and found that the home team is awarded on average approximately 0.8 more free throws, or 0.6 points per game.</p>
<p>Given that the home court advantage in the NBA was approximately 2.7 points last year, these extra shots from the charity line account for approximately 22% of the home edge. Other subjective violations, such as traveling, also <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691154589/mathletics">break in favor of the home team</a>, with visiting teams being whistled for about half a violation more each game. This is essentially one-half less possession, which is worth approximately another 0.6 points, explaining another sizable part of the home edge.</p>
<p>The same holds true for other sports. In soccer, referees add more stoppage time when the home team trails by a goal compared with when the home team is ahead by a goal. Interestingly, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1465-7295.2007.00112.x">referee bias in soccer is reduced</a> when there is a track field separating the pitch and the fans.</p>
<p>In baseball, during a full count, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/201130/scorecasting-by-tobias-j-moskowitz-and-l-jon-wertheim/">more pitches are called strikes for the home team’s pitcher</a>.</p>
<p>In the NHL, referees call <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691154589/mathletics">20% fewer penalties for home teams, which is equivalent to about 0.25 goals</a>.</p>
<p>Another plausible hypothesis for explaining home field advantage – one supported by several studies – involves travel. In particular, <a href="http://www-stat.wharton.upenn.edu/%7Edsmall/nba_rest_submitted.pdf">studies have shown</a> that traveling, back-to-back scheduling of games and <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/16/E3168">jet lag</a> are associated with reduced performance.</p>
<p>Some teams also seem to benefit by playing in regions that have <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/10/20/dolphins-view-heat-in-miami-as-an-advantage/">unique weather patterns</a> or altitudes. For example, Denver’s basketball team has the <a href="https://statsbylopez.netlify.com/post/playing-at-home/">most pronounced home field advantage in all of professional sports</a>. This is probably <a href="https://www.stack.com/a/denvers-edge-how-altitude-provides-their-teams-with-the-greatest-home-field-advantage-in-sports">due to the city’s high altitude</a> – 5,280 feet – which may cause visiting players to suffer from headaches, dizziness and other complications of altitude sickness.</p>
<h2>A declining advantage?</h2>
<p>Of course, these aren’t the only possible reasons for the presence of home field advantage.</p>
<p>The question remains open, but researchers do know that the home field edge has been slowly declining over the years.</p>
<p>Using a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGRZwJgCzWU">regression-based method</a>, I calculated the home edge in terms of points in the NBA during the past 15 years. The declining trend potentially can be attributed to changes in officiating, more comfortable travel and advances in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/oct/26/sleep-nba-effects-basketball">understanding the body’s circadian rhythm that can lead to more educated travel preparation</a>.</p>
<p>After the NFL introduced instant-replay review of close plays, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/201130/scorecasting-by-tobias-j-moskowitz-and-l-jon-wertheim/">the home team’s winning percentage dropped from 58.5% to 56%</a>. This may indicate that prior to the adoption of instant-replay reviews, officials awarded more close calls to the home team. </p>
<p>Last week, <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2019/10/29/controversial-overturned-call-in-mavs-blazers-shows-coachs-challenge-is-a-work-in-progress-with-an-obvious-flaw/">the Portland Trail Blazers won in Dallas, beating the Mavericks due to a new rule</a> allowing coaches to challenge referee decisions. Portland challenged – and managed to overturn – a foul called five seconds before the end of the game that most probably would have given the win to the home team.</p>
<p>While home field advantage still matters, it’s mattering less and less with every season – just ask the Houston Astros.</p>
<p>[ <em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126086/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Konstantinos Pelechrinis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A data scholar explains why playing at home doesn’t provide the boost that it once did.Konstantinos Pelechrinis, Associate Professor of Computing and Information, University of PittsburghLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1260452019-10-31T10:12:14Z2019-10-31T10:12:14ZRugby referees are quitting. It’s time to show some compassion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299452/original/file-20191030-17893-1qk235x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">MARK R. CRISTINO/EPA</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Rugby, like all sports, likes to talk about players and coaches “dying by the sword”. This kind of pressure has been ever-present during the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. </p>
<p>Referees in particular felt the heat with the sport’s global governing body <a href="https://www.world.rugby">World Rugby</a> making a statement criticising referee performances early on in the tournament for “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/rugby-world-cup-2019-referees-criticised-performance-reece-hodge-tackle-peceli-yato-a9117881.html">not consistently being of the standard expected of the highest level of the game</a>”.</p>
<p>Research into refereeing in rugby has highlighted the intense demand the role places on individuals, and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2015-0109">heavy psychological load</a> referees face. The result is poor psychological well-being and <a href="https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000306">poor mental health experiences</a>. The man who holds the world record for the most test matches refereed, Nigel Owens, recently gave a <a href="https://www.ruck.co.uk/watch-there-was-a-lot-of-love-for-nigel-owens-following-his-ray-darcy-appearance/">powerful interview</a> about his own struggles with mental health. </p>
<p>My current research explores chronic performance-related stress and failure-based depression experiences within elite referees. My early findings suggest that referees are feeling an ever-increasing psychological burden. This increase is associated with a constant exposure to psychological and physical intimidation through social and traditional media, and with it a perceived lack of game-wide support. </p>
<p>Referees are increasingly <a href="http://www.ijsmart.eu/Contents.aspx?Y=2016&V=21&Is=d">walking away from the game</a> at all levels. Of increasing concern are the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2019.1605841">threats of verbal and physical violence that referees</a> are now facing. World-wide, referees are experiencing growing physical threat and psychological trauma. </p>
<p>Coaches are compelled to face the throngs of media after a match and expose themselves to scrutiny about the rights or wrongs of their team’s performance. For many coaches, post-failure based depression is a reality. </p>
<p>But does it have to be this way? Australian coach Michael Cheika <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/michael-cheika-quits-rugby-world-cup-2019-australia-coach-latest-news-dave-rennie-a9163426.html">left his post</a> of five years within 24 hours of his team’s quarter-final loss to a disciplined and powerful England side. What was surprising about Cheika’s response to questions was his call for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83S-4Gxk2Co">“compassion”</a>.</p>
<p>Compassion is not a word commonly associated with sport at this level, yet this World Cup seems to have also shone a light on a side seldom seen in rugby – a display of humanity. This was evident in scenes of the <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/13/sport/canada-players-help-typhoon-rugby-world-cup-spt-intl-scli/index.html">Canadian team helping a local community</a> clean up in Kamaishi in the wake of Typhoon Hagibis after the tropical cyclone caused their final match to be cancelled. </p>
<p>The footage helps us make sense of the role compassion can play in sport. Their emotional response to suffering and their authentic desire to help the citizens of Kamaishi showed a basic desire for a common humanity based on kindness, altruism and empathy.</p>
<p>Yet our sense of compassion seems to desert us when we enter the turnstiles, turn on the TV or flick the radio on. And this is particularly the case when we consider the referee caught in the middle.</p>
<p>I think it’s time this changed.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299462/original/file-20191030-17878-1rz0drl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The referee South Africans love to hate, Jerome Garces (L), during the Rugby World Cup semi final match between South Africa and Wales.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">MARK R. CRISTINO/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Hard knocks</h2>
<p>Rugby World Cup headlines also centred on the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/50121693">“deselection” of Jaco Peyper</a>, the South African referee who controlled the Wales quarter-final clash with France. Peyper got virtually every big call right during the match and has been one of the outstanding referees in the tournament. Yet he was reportedly dumped from a semi-final appointment for a photograph taken with Welsh fans at a train station. </p>
<p>Whatever the ethics of how the picture was taken, it should nevertheless invite us to focus our attention on the man in the middle.</p>
<p>In sport we seem to have allowed a vilification of the role of the referee to grow. We legitimise a non-compassionate view based on a lack of tolerance for anything that falls short of perfection. </p>
<p>This was further highlighted last week when <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/50121693">South African fans</a> demanded the removal of referee Jerome Garces from the Springboks’ semi-final with Wales. An <a href="https://www.change.org/p/brett-gosper-stop-jerome-garces-give-us-nigel-owens?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_18547044_en-GB%253Av5&recruiter=71497987&recruited_by_id=66b87560-594f-11e3-9b07-d7c664d6ca07&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&utm_term=795556e0ab504be99ba5aa2b96594d12&share_bandit_exp=abi-18547044-en-GB&share_bandit_var=v0">online petition</a> was started to take the game away from the highly-rated French official.</p>
<p>For what? Because statistics demonstrate that South Africa has lost more games when he has been in charge. Of course he wasn’t removed and the Springboks went on to win the match. Garces was appointed to control the final of the world cup. </p>
<p>Our immediate response to shout at a referee for what we consider to be a poor decision may be seen as acceptable – but taken to the extreme it is the <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/england-world-cup-semi-final-13024697">referee and their family</a> being increasingly <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/9718136/police-probe-death-threat-against-rugby-league-referee/">trolled on social media</a> amid verbal threats of physical harm. </p>
<figure class="align-cent zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299464/original/file-20191030-17888-mxt82f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Referee Jaco Pyper (C) and his assistant referees review a ruling in a quarter-final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">MARK R. CRISTINO/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where’s the compassion?</h2>
<p>Without a more compassionate response from the rugby community the game itself is at risk of harm. </p>
<p>The Rugby World Cup is not just about winning. It should also be a showcase of the positive qualities of the wider rugby community – including referees. After all, its primary purpose is to promote rugby to a wider audience as a game for all. It will be a shame if this World Cup is remembered for failing to protect the mental health and well-being of its referees and, in doing so, turning potential recruits away from the job.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126045/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mikel Mellick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One of the most pressurised roles in the pressure cooker that is the Rugby World Cup is the referee. Threatening fans are causing them to quit the game at all levels.Mikel Mellick, Senior Lecturer in Athlete Mental Health, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1159542019-04-25T12:50:30Z2019-04-25T12:50:30ZLigue 1: France gets its first female top flight football referee, but the federation scores an own goal<p>As the end of the 2018-19 football season approaches, a match between Amiens and Strasbourg in France’s Ligue 1 would normally attract little attention. However, Sunday’s game has already created headlines as Stéphanie Frappart will become <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48035509">the first ever woman to act as a main referee</a> in the top tier of French men’s football.</p>
<p>Initially, this appointment could be seen as a symbol of progress and inclusion. But the French Football Federation (FFF) announced that Frappart had been appointed as the main official for the Amiens-Strasbourg match in order to “<a href="https://twitter.com/FFF/status/1120680479970275328">prepare her for World Cup conditions</a>” ahead of the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. </p>
<p>The FFF’s explanation seems somewhat begrudging as it makes no reference to Frappart’s experience or talent as a match official. It arguably presents her nomination as a means to an end rather than a logical next step for someone who has officiated in Ligue 2 since 2014. Indeed, Frappart has also been a fourth official or video assistant referee in Ligue 1 several times.</p>
<p>Whether Frappart will establish herself as a leading referee within men’s football in France is uncertain. Pascal Garibian, technical director for refereeing in France, has said it is “<a href="http://www.leparisien.fr/sports/football/arbitre-principale-du-match-amiens-strasbourg-stephanie-frappart-est-prete-assure-pascal-garibian-23-04-2019-8059035.php">still too early to say</a>” if she will become a regular main referee in Ligue 1. In addition, it is unclear <a href="http://www.leparisien.fr/sports/football/arbitre-principale-du-match-amiens-strasbourg-stephanie-frappart-est-prete-assure-pascal-garibian-23-04-2019-8059035.php">if she will referee any more top division matches this season</a>.</p>
<p>It is also worth questioning to what extent officiating at Amiens-Strasbourg constitutes good preparation for this summer’s Women’s World Cup. Amiens’ home stadium can welcome 12,000 spectators, 8,000 fewer than the smallest 2019 Women’s World Cup venue. Seven of France’s nine World Cup stadiums have more than double the capacity of Amiens’ Stade de la Licorne. And Amiens has the <a href="https://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/affluences/journee">third lowest average attendance</a> of Ligue 1 teams during the current season.</p>
<h2>Slow progression</h2>
<p>Frappart becoming the first woman to referee a match in Ligue 1 is significant, but also somewhat paradoxical. In fact, it highlights the lack of career progression enjoyed by female officials within French men’s football – and across Europe, too.</p>
<p>In September 2017, Bibiana Steinhaus became the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/19/bibiana-steinhaus-female-referee-bundesliga">first female referee</a> in a European main men’s football league (in Germany’s Bundesliga). But while Frappart’s appointment will see Ligue 1 become the second major European men’s league in which a woman has taken charge of a game, it has taken some time to get here.</p>
<p>In 1996, Nelly Viennot became the <a href="https://www.lepoint.fr/sport/femmes-et-football-4-nelly-viennot-si-j-ai-reussi-toutes-les-femmes-le-peuvent-27-12-2012-1606223_26.php">first female assistant referee in Ligue 1</a>, yet it has taken another 23 years for the first female main referee. In a top-level career lasting from 1996-2007, Viennot was regularly an assistant referee in men’s football, but never a main referee.</p>
<p>Regrettably, it seems that the FFF has taken the sheen off a notable first. A request from FIFA that its member associations help match officials to “<a href="https://www.fff.fr/actualites/185186-stephanie-frappart-en-ligue-1?themePath=arbitrer/">prepare in the best conditions possible</a>” for the 2019 Women’s World Cup seems the main reason Frappart will officiate this Sunday. It is somewhat unusual for someone not selected as a top division referee at the start of the season to officiate in Ligue 1. In Germany, Bibiana Steinhaus had been listed as one of the top division referees prior to the 2017-18 season.</p>
<p>As a referee in Ligue 2, Frappart has at times encountered sexist attitudes. When coach of Valenciennes in 2015, David Le Frapper said that “<a href="http://www.leparisien.fr/sports/foot/de-la-ligue2-au-CFA/propos-sexistes-les-arbitres-condamnent-l-entraineur-de-valenciennes-presente-ses-excuses-31-10-2015-5235619.php">when a woman referees in a man’s sport, things are complicated</a>” following a match Frappart refereed. Such comments are reminiscent of Sky presenters <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/jan/24/andy-gray-richard-keys-sexist-comments">Richard Keys and Andy Gray’s reaction</a> to Sian Massey-Ellis’ presence as assistant referee at an English Premier League match in 2011, when they suggested that female officials “don’t know the offside rule”.</p>
<p>During the last decade, the FFF has provoked controversy when seeking to encourage more women to get involved in football. In 2010, they sought to boost the profile of women’s football in France via <a href="https://www.tf1.fr/tf1/telefoot/news/adriana-karembeu-ambassadrice-de-charme-football-feminin-7558361.html">a campaign featuring Adrianna Karembeu</a>. Several posters were based on obvious gender stereotypes.</p>
<p>One featured an image of female footballers in a changing room and the slogan “For once you won’t scream when seeing another girl wearing the same outfit”. The FFF had previously promoted women’s football via an image of three leading players posing naked alongside the question “Is this what we have to do for you to come to see us play?”</p>
<p>Nelly Viennot’s presence as the first female assistant referee in Ligue 1 did not herald the arrival of many more female officials in French men’s football. Stéphanie Frappart is still the only woman to have been the main referee in Ligue 2. It is unclear to what extent attitudes to female referees in French men’s football are evolving. It may well be several years before we realise the real impact of Frappart’s appointment as referee for the match between Amiens and Strasbourg.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115954/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Ervine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Stéphanie Frappart’s Ligue 1 appointment is well deserved, but the reasoning behind it seems bregruding.Jonathan Ervine, Senior Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1037702018-09-27T01:51:26Z2018-09-27T01:51:26ZBlow that whistle: seven reasons you should respect the ref in the NRL Grand Final<p>This weekend’s rugby league Grand Final sees the <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/09/23/sydney-roosters-v-melbourne-storm-grand-final-preview/">Sydney Roosters face the Melbourne Storm</a> in front of a stadium crowd of thousands – and even more on television. All eyes will be on the referee to make sure the play is fair.</p>
<p>Like elite athletes, the reputation of these full-time professional refs is often summarised by their performance in high-pressure, high-stakes events – watched by people they can never impress.</p>
<p>Over the past three years, I have spent countless hours studying how NRL referees learn their craft. </p>
<p>So, ahead of this year’s NRL grand final, here are some aspects that might help you see the game from a ref’s point of view.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">Split-second decisions with little praise: so what does it take to ref a game of NRL</a>
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<h2>1. Mt Everest moment</h2>
<p>The Grand Final is the ultimate. It is the pinnacle of a referee’s work over the course of the year. Everyone wants to make it, to earn the right to rule.</p>
<p>But they may never reach that pinnacle again. </p>
<p>So remember that they want the best: they really want to represent the game, the two teams involved, the fans and those referees who didn’t make the final, to the best of their ability. </p>
<h2>2. You only see it once</h2>
<p>Referees make split-second decisions. They only see things once, often only a small movement, and usually at speed.</p>
<p>They have to calculate the right moment to strike. They don’t have the luxury of multiple video replays to get it right.</p>
<p>Even without the involvement of the bunker – a centralised facility that records the game from several angles and to which refs can refer decisions for review – consider how hard this is to maintain faultlessly (and fearlessly) over two 40-minute blocks.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Refs can call on the bunker for help.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>3. They never fly solo</h2>
<p>During the course of a game, lead referees have to cope with listening to their assistant referee, two line judges, the matchday referee coach, players yelling at them, and occasionally spectators who provide their own helpful advice.</p>
<p>They also have to call for assistance, knowing that this may overrule something on which they have already made a ruling. </p>
<p>Remember, few of us hold jobs where people are simultaneously speaking to us, where we have to demand a second opinion, and where we can be called out for our mistakes on national television. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Everyone’s a critic of the refs.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>4. Reading their mind</h2>
<p>Each referee’s decision-making prowess is strongly predicated on their ability to read the game. They need to “feel” situations as they dynamically unfold with respect to players’ actions, movements and tensions.</p>
<p>Refs need to internally interpret, process and recall important variables and situations and to then blend these into accurate, constructive decisions that affect a given action or outcome both now and into the future of the game.</p>
<h2>5. Collectively attuned</h2>
<p>The lead and assistant refs in a Grand Final know their roles individually and collectively. On match day, they are tightly woven, well-attuned to each others nuances and thoughts.</p>
<p>Their thinking in action also imperceptibly defines and shapes a tone and rhythm for how the game unfolds.</p>
<p>But remember, they constantly formulate these actions in the context of the whole, never as individuals, but rather as part of the overall fabric of the game. </p>
<h2>6. Refereeing is hard work</h2>
<p>NRL referees run about <a href="https://playnrl.com/referee/referee-latest-news/the-science-of-officiating/">8.2km per game</a>. They consistently manage around <a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">282 rucks and 36 kicks in play</a>.</p>
<p>They also spend a <a href="https://theconversation.com/split-second-decisions-with-little-praise-so-what-does-it-take-to-ref-a-game-of-nrl-57553">staggering 31% of their game time</a> in high anaerobic heart rate sectors of 170 beats per minute (BPM) or above.</p>
<p>At the same time, referees are dynamically adjusting their field positions to continually remain alongside the play, all while making decisions at speed.</p>
<p>When was the last time you ran this far while also completing several intermittent sprint efforts, and making mentally taxing decisions all the while?</p>
<h2>7. They love the game</h2>
<p>Referees are passionate about rugby league. Many played the game as juniors, while others have family members involved. </p>
<p>They also love the challenge and excitement of league and the camaraderie that comes with such a high-profile sport.</p>
<p>But referees are expected to look serious, lack personality and ignore the distractions from both participants and spectators. </p>
<p>Remember, they are not permitted to publicly express their support, or otherwise, for particular teams or results, or provide insights into how they feel about their sport.</p>
<h2>Be gentle</h2>
<p>So, remember that referees are just people – albeit people who are extremely driven, focused, energetic athletes who are strongly anchored to performing the perfect game. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whether-teams-win-or-lose-sporting-events-lead-to-spikes-in-violence-against-women-and-children-99686">Whether teams win or lose, sporting events lead to spikes in violence against women and children</a>
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<p>They work as hard as elite players, both physically and mentally, to store and retrieve rules, learn new rules, learn every player’s name, stay fit, and make correct decisions at lightning speed.</p>
<p>Remember too that on Grand Final Day, most fans’ satisfactions are often driven by how well their team performs – which means it is often easier (and more acceptable) to ignore the loss if it can be blamed on the referees, rather than your own team’s play.</p>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103770/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s not easy being a ref. Everyone’s your critic, and you have to run more than 8km each match to keep up with the play.Dr Kath O'Brien, PhD Candidate - School of Human Movement & Nutrition Sciences, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/886932018-01-02T20:51:03Z2018-01-02T20:51:03ZBias creeps into reference checks, so is it time to ditch them?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199383/original/file-20171215-17848-6xu1sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows gender bias even invades in the content of recommendations.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Connie/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As much as we’d like to think we’ve refined the hiring process over the years to carefully select the best candidate for the job, bias still creeps in.</p>
<p>Candidates who come from privileged backgrounds are more able to source impressive, well-connected referrers and this perpetuates the cycle of privilege. While the referrer’s reputation and personal clout make up one aspect of the recommendation, what they actually say - the content - completes the picture. </p>
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<p><strong><em>Research: <a href="https://theconversation.com/unconscious-bias-is-keeping-women-out-of-senior-roles-but-we-can-get-around-it-73518">Unconscious bias is keeping women out of senior roles, but we can get around it</a></em></strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo2819">Research shows</a> gender bias even invades in the content of recommendations. In this study female applicants for post-doctoral research positions in the field of geoscience were only half as likely as their male counterparts to receive excellent (as opposed to just good) endorsements from their referees. Since it’s unlikely that of the 1,200 recommendation letters analysed, female candidates were less excellent than the male candidates, it means something else is going on. </p>
<p>A result like this may be explained by the gender role conforming adjectives that are used to describe female versus male applicants. Women are more likely to be observed and described as “nurturing” and “helpful”, whereas men are attributed with stronger, more competence-based words like <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0016539">“confident” and “ambitious”</a>. This can, in turn, lead to stronger recommendations for male candidates. </p>
<p>Worryingly, in another study <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181659">similar patterns</a> emerged in the way black versus white, and female versus male, medical students were described in performance evaluations. These were used as input to select residents. </p>
<p>In both cases the members of minority groups were described using less impressive words (like “competent” versus “exceptional”), a pattern that was observed even after controlling for licensing examination scores, an objective measure of competence. </p>
<h2>Recommendations aren’t good predictors of performance</h2>
<p>Let’s put the concerns about bias aside for a moment while we examine an even bigger question: are recommendations actually helpful, valid indicators of future job performance or are they based on outdated traditions that we keep enforcing?</p>
<p>Even back in the 90s, <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/009102609302200106">researchers</a> were trying to alert hiring managers to the ineffectiveness of this as a tool, noting some major problems. </p>
<p>The first problem is leniency, referees are allowed to be chosen by the candidate and tend to be overly positive. The second is too little knowledge of the applicant, as referees are unlikely to see all aspects of a prospective employees’ work and personal character. </p>
<p>Reliability is another problem. It turns out there is higher agreement between two letters written by the same referee for different candidates, than there is for two letters (written by two different referees) for the same candidate! </p>
<p><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-16993-001">There is evidence</a> that people behave in different ways when they are in different situations at work, which would reasonably lead to different recommendations from various referees. However, the fact that there is more consistency between what referees say about different candidates than between what different referees say about the same candidate remains a problem. </p>
<h2>The alternatives to the referee</h2>
<p>There are a few initiatives that are currently being used as alternatives to standard recruitment processes. One example is gamification – where candidates play spatial awareness or other job-relevant games to demonstrate their competence. For example, <a href="https://www.thinkincircles.com/deloitte-gamify-the-recruitment-process/">Deloitte</a> has teamed up with software developer, Arctic Shores, for a fresh take on recruitment in an attempt to move away from the more traditional methods of recruitment.</p>
<p>However, gamification is not without its flaws – these methods would certainly favour individuals who are more experienced with certain kinds of video games, and gamers are more likely <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/232383/gender-split-of-us-computer-and-video-gamers/">to be male</a>. So it’s a bit of a catch-22 for recruiters who are introducing bias through a process designed to try to eliminate bias. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-do-you-think-you-are-the-problems-with-workplace-personality-tests-14164">Who do you think you are? The problems with workplace personality tests</a>
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<p>If companies are serious about overcoming potential bias in recruitment and selection processes, they should consider addressing gender, racial, economic and other forms of inequality. One way to do this is through broadening the recruitment pool by making sure the language they use in position descriptions and jobs ads is more inclusive. Employers can indicate flexible work options are available and make the decision to choose the minority candidates when they are equally qualified as other candidates. </p>
<p>Another option is to increase the diversity of the selection committee to add some new perspectives to previously homogeneous committees. Diverse selectors are <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/elite-labs-hire-more-men-than-women-1.15483">more likely to speak up</a> about and consider the importance of hiring more diverse candidates. </p>
<p>Job seekers could even try running a letter of reference through software, such as <a href="https://textio.com/">Textio,</a> that reports gender bias in pieces of text and provides gender-neutral alternatives. But just as crucial is the need for human resources departments to start looking for more accurate mechanisms to evaluate candidates’ competencies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88693/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Wheeler has engaged in paid and pro-bono consulting and research relating to issues of social justice, applied ethics, and gender equality (e.g., Our Watch, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, National Association of Women in Operations). She is affiliated with the Centre for Ethical Leadership, which receives funding from several partner organisations, in the private and public sector, including from the Victorian Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victor Sojo does research with a number of partner organisations. Currently he is working with Cohealth, EACH, Eastern Community Legal Center, Monash City Council and Oxfam Australia. Victor is also a pro-bono consultant in the Victorian Government Recruit Smarter Initiative. Additionally, Victor is a member of VicHealth's Leading Thinkers Taskforce for behavioural insights & gender equality.</span></em></p>Even back in the 90s, researchers were trying to alert hiring managers to the ineffectiveness of this as a tool, noting some major problems.Melissa A. Wheeler, Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneVictor Sojo, Lecturer, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/736452017-03-09T12:24:27Z2017-03-09T12:24:27ZSix Nations: why more rugby referees should be bilingual<p>Given that the majority of the high-ranking rugby union teams come from societies where English is the first language, it’s natural that English acts as the game’s lingua franca on the international stage. But world-leading rugby referee Wayne Barnes has recently made clear that he and his colleagues in the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English governing body for the sport, are making every effort to improve their on-field communication with foreign language speakers. They are even <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38899201">going so far as to take French lessons</a>. </p>
<p>This seems like a sound policy – but will implementing it make any difference to the quality of communications during a game?</p>
<p>Learning basic terminology across two languages is possible even for those with the most rudimentary grasp of a foreign tongue, yet holding a conversation requires a much more nuanced understanding of how a language functions. Barnes, by all accounts a decent French speaker, admits that: “I have had French captains ask me to speak in English because they will understand me better.”</p>
<p>In international rugby, it is vital for captains to be able to speak enough English to communicate effectively, and then translate what the referee says to their teammates. This has been clear in the 2017 Six Nations in the interactions between referees and Sergio Parisse, the Italian captain, and Guilhem Guirado, the French captain, whose capacity to grasp what the officials are saying and relay this to their compatriots is vital to their position. </p>
<p>For example, Parisse, who plays his domestic rugby in France, was able to speak in French to the French referee Romain Poite during the England vs Italy game on February 25 – a match in which Italy deployed some <a href="https://theconversation.com/england-rugbys-ruckgate-when-playing-by-the-rules-is-seen-as-unfair-73777">surprising tactics</a>. </p>
<h2>Ready to learn</h2>
<p>When fluent communication is the aim, it is worth questioning whether anglophone referees will really be able to speak French or Italian better than the players are able to speak English.</p>
<p>But officials can all learn rugby union’s “code” in another language – something that language expert <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=k82cl1oulO0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=adrian+beard+the+language+of+sport&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiV3963n7bSAhVEJ8AKHXijDxAQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">Adrian Beard</a> describes as “a language variety in which grammar and vocabulary are particular to a specific group”. </p>
<p>In rugby, this means that officials can feel confident using terms which are significant in a rugby match, such as “knock-on” or “ruck”. This kind of communication is insufficient for all conversations between officials and players, but useful for giving instructions or explaining where infringements have taken place.</p>
<p>More advanced linguistic skills come in handy when the official has the wherewithal to employ them astutely. When he took charge of a match between Argentina and Georgia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, <a href="http://www.rugbyworld.com/countries/argentina-countries/world-cup-2015-argentina-54-9-georgia-49384">Irish referee JP Doyle chose to address both teams in French</a>. Doyle’s reasoning was that, although this was not the native language of either nation, many of the players had plied their trade in France and therefore were more proficient in this language than English.</p>
<p>However, the canniness JP Doyle showed isn’t always replicated in refereeing, where the use of non-standard English has the potential to cause confusion. The 2017 Six Nations has seen some debatable conversations on this front. It is difficult to see how, for example, Australian referee Angus Gardner’s appeal to the French players in their match against England to <a href="https://youtu.be/pVC8u9yYxJg?t=5084">“stop playing silly buggers”</a> will have meaningfully transcended the language barrier. Colloquial language is often incomprehensible to a foreign language speaker, so officials should have an educated awareness of the dangers of using it.</p>
<h2>Imposition of English</h2>
<p>Some degree of bilingual officiating is clearly a step in the right direction for rugby – a sport whose top-level international teams speak a small pool of languages. Not least because the ubiquity of English could make rugby union seem like a closed shop to non-native speakers.</p>
<p>The sport aims to create an atmosphere of camaraderie in both domestic and international fixtures where supporters from competing teams are not segregated but encouraged to stand and sit together. In this way, rugby matches between rival nations reinforce, according to Joseph Maguire, an, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Wi-DAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=joseph+maguire+power+and+global+sport&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOtJ-O1sTSAhWsCcAKHaMYASIQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">“international diminishing of contrasts”</a> by encouraging the enrichment of relationships between nations and reducing feelings of suspicion and unease towards other nationalities.</p>
<p>When sports’ organising bodies choose to not facilitate an improved form of communication which involves other languages than English, it only adds to the notion advanced by the translation theorist Lawrence Venuti that the imposition of cultural values from English-speaking countries has helped to create <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ha2ffpkivjQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=lawrence+venuti&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0vonZn7bSAhWMAsAKHadzC-4Q6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">an imperialistic approach to language</a>. By considering the needs of non-English speakers more tactfully, and in doing so not putting them at a disadvantage, rugby union can augment its reputation for respect between cultures and beyond the post-match pints.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73645/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caleb Keown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>English-speaking rugby referees are aiming to improve their foreign language skills – but how will this affect the game?Caleb Keown, PhD researcher in Translation Studies, Queen's University BelfastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/649392016-09-07T11:42:16Z2016-09-07T11:42:16ZMark Halsey incident suggests football referee system in England needs reforming<p>Over the weekend, referee Mark Halsey <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/09/04/mark-halsey-reveals-incident-he-claims-he-was-told-to-lie-about/">claimed</a> that he had been told to state that he had not seen an incident which occurred in a game he was officiating between Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers in 2011, in order to ensure that the offending player was punished following the fixture. This allegation was later <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37268815">denied</a> by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body that manages elite referees in England.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, this has caused widespread debate and questions, principally aimed at the Football Association, the Premier League and the PGMOL. Some within football <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3773533/FA-urged-act-Mark-Halsey-s-controversial-blind-eye-claims.html">have even claimed</a> that an investigation into practices involving protocol upon receiving referee match reports and deciding whether retrospective action is required should be undertaken.</p>
<p>But the fact that this debate is being aired at all demonstrates that there are deep issues with the structure in which elite referees in England operate. In short, this debate demonstrates the undue pressure that referees are under to get decisions right. </p>
<p>This comes amid statements from the Premier League prior to the start of the season identifying that player behaviour was intolerable towards referees. It was suggested that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jul/20/premier-league-threatens-red-cards-crackdown-indiscipline">there should be a “crackdown”</a> on this type of behaviour towards match officials and a potential increase in the number of red cards as a consequence.</p>
<h2>Global football</h2>
<p>The issue here is that football is a global sport and the Premier League is the most watched league in the world, a product that generates substantial turnover and profit. This season the Premier League begins the latest television rights deal, lasting until 2019, which is estimated to be worth £8.5 billion for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/feb/10/premier-league-tv-rights-grow-sky-sports">domestic</a> and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3264606/Premier-League-set-3bn-windfall-global-TV-rights-rival-broadcasters-slug-screen-England-based-superstars.html">international</a> broadcast rights. </p>
<p>Such figures create a significant pressure on clubs, managers and players to get results and for referees to be correct in the decisions that they make on the pitch. These decisions can affect the course of a match, or potentially the whole season.</p>
<p>So the leadership that elite referees receive and the structures that they operate within are vitally important. Referees must feel supported. The fact that elite referees train remotely, meeting every two weeks as a group, means that they must also be able to self-regulate their training and motivate themselves, something which effective leaders and support structures must also be aware of. This also requires that the leadership and support of referees must be adequate for their needs, which currently it is not.</p>
<p>In England, elite referees are managed by the PGMOL, an organisation which does not exist in other comparable leagues such as those in Spain, Italy or France. The PGMOL exists in England due to the financial input from the Premier League, the FA and the Football League, with the majority of financial backing received from the Premier League. But the existence of such a body only in England is at odds with the FIFA statutes, which demand that referee organisation should be “directly subordinate” to the member association – in England, the FA. The football association in any given country should be the organisation that solely manages, leads and organises referees at all levels of the game. </p>
<h2>A structural issue</h2>
<p>So the involvement of the Premier League – the fact that they fund elite referees – is problematic in England. Particularly because the Premier League board is formed of the chairpersons of the current clubs in the Premier League. The members of the board all represent their own clubs’ interests and the Premier League is a product which is sold through television and image rights around the world. Obviously, this presents potential conflict of interests in a number of areas. </p>
<p>So an issue such as Mark Halsey’s becomes much more complicated. A former referee claiming that he had been told to deny he had seen an incident on the pitch adversely affects the stakeholders: the clubs in the league. The potential sanctions imposed on important players of those clubs through retrospective action has the potential to lead to financial losses, through reduced prize money for a lower league place or a shorter run in a cup competition. </p>
<p>Due to the organisation, structures and leadership in other comparable European leagues, such as Spain, Italy and France, there is a reduced chance of this type of incident occurring. Conflict of interests between leagues, clubs and referees are less likely. In short, the systems and protocols in other leagues are often simpler because they do not have a tripartite body such as the PGMOL; the referees are under sole control of the football associations.</p>
<p>At the very least, the support networks and protocols that referees function within on a day to day basis in England should be reconsidered. But comparison with other European leagues suggests that it is the structure of refereeing itself which requires further consideration in the Premier League.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64939/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Webb does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are deep issues with the structure in which elite referees in England operate.Tom Webb, Senior Lecturer in Sports Management and Development, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/575532016-04-20T20:08:54Z2016-04-20T20:08:54ZSplit-second decisions with little praise: so what does it take to ref a game of NRL<p>Whomever you support in any National Rugby League (<a href="http://www.nrl.com/">NRL</a>) footy game, it’s important to remember there’s always a third team in play that seldom gets much support: the refereeing crew.</p>
<p>For every knock-on, restart and try scored, this six-person unit deftly coordinates thousands of decisive calls and split-second decisions at match speed.</p>
<p>And all this is done while under intense player and public scrutiny.</p>
<p>NRL referees consistently manage around 282 rucks per game and 36 kicks in play. They adjudicate on approximately 20 player errors, 38 restarts and 14 penalties while covering a total distance of around eight kilometres per game.</p>
<p>Match officials spend a staggering 31% of game time in high anaerobic heart rate sectors of 170 beats per minute (bpm) or above.</p>
<p>How, then, under such demanding physical and mental circumstances, do these high-performance arbitrators effectively administer and communicate their decision-making outcomes?</p>
<h2>Close calls</h2>
<p>After spending eight busy days this month immersed in the business of NRL refereeing, I was extremely impressed with the professionalism and work rate of all involved.</p>
<p>It highlighted to me the lack of public knowledge about how these elite athletes operate. There is an enormous volume of communication taking place during each game, and technology’s had a huge impact on the role and responsibilities of the modern-day official.</p>
<p>The lead and assist referees facilitate match-day decisions in partnership with their two touch judges. Further support is provided each week by both the match-day referee coach and a senior review official located in the video ref’s bunker.</p>
<p>I attended the Eels v Panthers game at Parramatta Stadium in western Sydney. The referees’ coaching box was a small space in which the match-day official was required to effectively operate. It was already half-packed with equipment.</p>
<p>Noise and movement from broadcast boxes either side continually intruded while technical staff repeatedly entered and left as the game progressed.</p>
<p>And yet, the match-day referee’s focus in this small area was unwavering. Concentration was maintained as he astutely watched every play of the game and confirmed decisions and ruck counts.</p>
<p>By judiciously communicating with the other referees and touch judges on field, the match-day referee provided immediate clarity and confidence at key times throughout the match for both the lead and assist referee.</p>
<p>During the course of a typical game, lead referees have to cope with listening to their assist referee, two line judges, the match-day referee coach, players and occasionally spectators who attempt to provide their own “helpful” advice. </p>
<p>Hundreds of communications are taking place each minute. Few of us hold jobs where at least five people are simultaneously speaking at us and where split-second responses are required. Key decisions may also change the mood of a large group of people in their immediate vicinity from friendly to hostile in a short space of time.</p>
<h2>The video ref bunker</h2>
<p>This season has seen the set up of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/nrl-video-refs-can-still-make-the-call-even-if-theyre-not-at-the-game-51897">centralised video referee</a>, based in a bunker at the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, Sydney, where a team of officials are required to watch over all NRL games. </p>
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<p>In contrast to the on-field refereeing, scenes inside the video referee bunker were far more comfortable. With no interruptions and plenty of soundproofed space, match review officials clinically oversaw decisions being made at a distance.</p>
<p>Devoid of match-day emotions and distractions but just as busy as the match-day coaching box with little changeover time between games, an impressive array of touchscreen interfaces, zoom functions and enhanced camera angles were continually accessed in order to provide alternative sources of match-day information to the on-field referee team when required.</p>
<p>At the same time, in another section of the bunker, referee coaching staff were constantly editing key sections of decision-making plays in order to produce coaching segments designed to provide feedback and improve referee performance prior to the next round of games.</p>
<p>Who goes home from their day job to analyse their own performance for the next three hours? Which families get to continually hear about their job security in the <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/opinion/nrls-aim-to-stop-criticism-of-referees-and-bunker-eroding-public-faith-in-games-accountability/news-story/a4b9c7064ac8842b514148e861af3a8a">media</a>? And who gets their work statistically micro-analysed by a personal coach every week?</p>
<h2>When the refs get it right</h2>
<p>NRL refereeing must be one of the most high pressure and publicly scrutinised jobs on the Australian sporting landscape. And yet, data reveals that NRL referees had an 81.4% decision-making success rate for their round five games this season. It was an astounding 94% success rate for the Eels v Panthers game I attended. </p>
<p>Why then do we focus so strongly on referee mistakes rather than player mistakes?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119225/original/image-20160419-13905-kwvuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ryan Hoffman of the Warriors speaks with the referee Matt Checchin during the round five NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the New Zealand Warriors at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Mick Tsikas</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Realistically, they can only officiate the match that comes before them. If players are intent on committing penalties, then referees have no choice but to blow the whistle on them.</p>
<p>And yet, the performances of referees appear to be shaped quickly by strong opinions in the aftermath of games by players, coaches and media alike. This includes the new video referee bunker decisions that have also been <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-coaches-have-found-a-loophole-to-avoid-getting-fined/news-story/cca1688b5e245dc071eea921d82e52dd">subject to some criticism</a> this season.</p>
<p>If people only see the condensed <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/vossy-apologises-for-epic-channel-9-replay-rant/news-story/c7f79d8d0bdd9019a84ad95aedd4ecc3">footage currently being broadcast</a>, then it must be difficult to accurately assess and comment on referee mistakes at all. </p>
<p>In future, solutions might be to display the multiple camera angles available to bunker officials instead of the basic vision currently being shown. By combining broadcast vision with real-time lead and assist referee communications, angst currently being directed at referees might be further reduced. </p>
<p>Broncos coach Wayne Bennett believes the <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nrl/wayne-bennett-doesnt-want-nrl-grand-final-in-brisbane/news-story/481bf03a9c1b86afdfe219f7d676f4c7">bunker system has already shown its worth</a> when he said at the weekend:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The bunker has many plusses to it, but is it the perfect system? No it’s not, because there is human error there.</p>
<p>That’s the bottom line. I don’t know why we keep beating ourselves up about it, because it is better than what we had.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That’s something to consider next time you’re about to criticise the referee in any NRL game.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57553/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The data shows NRL referees get it right most of the time. So why do they still cop criticism?Dr Kath O'Brien, PhD Candidate - School of Human Movement & Nutrition Sciences, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/518972015-12-13T19:26:49Z2015-12-13T19:26:49ZNRL video refs can still make the call even if they’re not at the game<p>A new centralised video bunker is set to be introduced to the National Rugby League (NRL) games next season as part of a <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-moves-to-introduce-video-bunker-to-eradicate-referee-errors/news-story/deb00ffe546519fff97e8d52558e37c6?memtype=anonymous">A$2 million hi-tech</a> overhaul.</p>
<p>The aim is to reduce dramas surrounding refereeing decisions in the code, with rugby league being the first sport in Australia to have such a command centre.</p>
<p>Up to now the video referees have been based at the venue during a game. The new Sydney-based centre will use Hawk-Eye Innovations video review technology and give the video referees access to multiple camera angles and playback control for all reviewable decisions.</p>
<p>Expectations are high that with this type of advanced technical assistance, referees will get more decisions correct and that significantly less time will be taken to reach those decisions.</p>
<h2>What’s all the fuss?</h2>
<p>But according to recent <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-referees-reach-alltime-high-in-correct-decisions-on-tries-20150502-1myeal.html">NRL data</a>, referees are getting try-scoring decisions right at the highest rate since the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-13/refs-to-make-a-call-before-referring/4516876">directive to rule on tries</a> before referring them upstairs to the video referee.</p>
<p>Referees had an 86% success rate over the opening eight rounds of the 2015 competition, compared with an 83% success rate for the entire 2014 season. <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-coaches-rants-at-refs-are-pure-misdirection-and-distort-the-true-standard-of-match-officials/story-fnp0lyn3-1227272955642">Further data</a> reveals that the overall accuracy of NRL referees decisions (80% accuracy) was only just behind the AFL (84%). It was ahead of both the football (70%) and rugby (50%) codes.</p>
<p>How then will the introduction of a central command system be the ultimate “<a href="http://www.nrl.com/video-bunker-confirmed-for-2016/tabid/10874/newsid/90491/default.aspx">game changer</a>” that NRL head of football Todd Greenburg has predicted? The on-field referee evidence already appears to suggest that officials have the capacity to get decisions right the majority of the time.</p>
<p>How does the effectiveness of the proposed Central Command Centre, to be based at NEP Australia at Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, compare with the immediacy (and integrity) of the real-time decisions being put forward by their on-field referee teams each week?</p>
<p>According to Greenberg, the aim of the new referral system is to increase the accuracy and consistency of decisions, and to reduce the amount of time taken to come to those decisions.</p>
<h2>Call for ‘zero errors’</h2>
<p>In <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-video-referees-bunker-is-set-to-be-a-game-changer-20150602-ghexbo.html">trials conducted</a> during the Round 12 Warriors v Knights game, the average time taken to make decisions reduced from 58.5 seconds down to just 20.3 seconds.</p>
<p>In testing conducted over 11 games during the 2015 season, it was <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-video-referees-bunker-is-set-to-be-a-game-changer-20150602-ghexbo.html">reported that</a> both accuracy and efficiency levels improved. There was also a more consistent approach to decision-making due to fewer people making the decisions. It also helped not having to rely on vision dictated to by the host broadcaster. </p>
<p>It appears that Greenberg’s <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-confirms-introduction-of-bunker-for-video-referee-reviews-20151009-gk519l.html">bold prediction</a> of video referees within the new bunker making zero errors next year may be a distinct possibility.</p>
<p>One un-named NRL coach, who’s also a fan of the video ref, <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-video-referees-worth-10m-to-sponsors-kfc-for-time-spent-making-decisions/story-fnp0lyn3-1227463767172">is reported saying</a> that players and coaches work too hard and train too hard for matches to be decided by 50-50 calls of getting decisions right.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The video ref is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere. It will be part of the new bunker.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A close call</h2>
<p>Every try has now got millimetres in it, so we’ve got to make sure we’re using the <a href="http://www.nrl.com/nrl-trials-referee-bunker-system/tabid/10874/newsid/86740/default.aspx">right technology</a> to keep up with how the athletes are performing.</p>
<p>Experienced <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-video-referees-worth-10m-to-sponsors-kfc-for-time-spent-making-decisions/story-fnp0lyn3-1227463767172?memtype=anonymous">commentators report</a> that the frustration of fans dramatically increases when they see the referee rule a try, only to have it taken away from them after sitting through an extended replay process.</p>
<p>So how do you correct the immediate impact of a particular <a href="http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/09/14/refs-got-penalty-call-wrong-says-archer/">referee’s on-field decision</a> when no referral is required, such as the one that enabled St George Illawarra five-eighth Gareth Widdop to send their elimination final this year against the Canterbury Bulldogs into extra time?</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Was Shaun Lane offside? (see 3 mins 30 secs in)</span></figcaption>
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<p>The abrupt answer is: we won’t. We will still have moments of controversy as there is no perfect system yet designed.</p>
<p>While the use of new technology is geared towards aiding the officials on site, reality suggests that different stadium configurations or breakdowns in communication between referees on-site could still change the outcome of games. </p>
<p>Just because certain systems have made judgements more accurate in one sport, doesn’t necessarily mean it will do the same for the NRL.</p>
<p>But the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=701676">accumulating evidence</a> from current United States professional sports suggests that one thing a central officiating location does bring is consistency to referred outcomes. The call you get one day is more likely going to be the same as the call the next day, and the next week because it should be the same people adjudicating it.</p>
<p>Seeing an incident as it is occurs in real-time from a wider range of broadcast angles, without distractions and with the same two people processing the information, should theoretically make for a more thorough and effective decision making process.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Video refs don’t always get it right.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So regardless of opinion, the presence of the video referral system now appears to be an entrenched component in the game. </p>
<p>Referees will still be charged with the on-field responsibility for making most of the real-time decisions and deciding when to send these for review. The new off-site centralised video referees will be used to provide immediate support for on-field referee queries.</p>
<p>In that way, the transparency, speed and accuracy of decision-making may be improved next year, while at the same time potentially providing future frameworks of instruction that support even longer on-field and technological advancements for the sport of rugby league.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51897/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kath O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A centralised video ref for next year’s NRL season aims to reduce the dramas surrounding refereeing decisions in the game. But how often do the on-field refs get it wrong?Dr Kath O'Brien, PhD Candidate - School of Human Movement & Nutrition Sciences, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/487192015-10-15T14:49:37Z2015-10-15T14:49:37ZIs it time for rugby to ditch the scrum?<p>For the first time in the Rugby World Cup’s comparatively short history, the hosts have not progressed to the knock-out stages. It’s not only the England team that is in trouble, the game itself is facing significant challenges. There are concerns about <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/21/world-rugby-rules-concussion-head-injuries">head injuries</a>, the brutal nature of the game more generally and worries about methods used to attain the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/11859913/Rugby-uncovered-Union-is-the-dirtiest-sport-in-Britain-and-its-doping-problem-is-growing.html">massive physiques</a> required to survive and thrive in the modern era. </p>
<p>These are all genuine moral issues, but my concern goes right to the heart of good sporting contests. Although many people baulk at the very concept of sports ethics, moral principles are fundamental to the very notion of a sporting contest. Justice, fairness and merit are definitive. We want contestants in sport to deserve their victories. We want their victories to be caused by their efforts. The physical characteristics of speed, power, strength, fitness, skill and resilience coupled with the mental qualities of tactical acumen and applied with tenacity, courage and determination are what should take a team to victory. </p>
<p>Rugby is such a complex game and its <a href="http://laws.worldrugby.org/?law=showallbynumbers">laws</a> are being constantly broken. The referee must exercise judgement in deciding which offence to punish. Some are more difficult than others and we are familiar with expressions such as: “referee X is fussy about the contact area” or: “referee Y is really hard on players not releasing”. The referee tries to make sure the game is being played according to the laws so that as far as possible the best team wins. </p>
<h2>The trouble with the scrum</h2>
<p>This is not an easy task in any facet of play, but identifying the offender or offenders in the event of a scrum is particularly difficult. If the scrum collapses, or “pops up” or “wheels” too far the assumption is that a player or players have committed one of many possible offences. </p>
<p>A prop might have broken a bind, exerted downward pressure or not pushed straight. The frustrating thing for spectators and players alike is that often the decision by the referee looks like an educated guess at best and an arbitrary pronouncement at worst. </p>
<p>The consequence, however, can be absolutely decisive – the difference between winning and losing, being world champions or runners up. Awarding a penalty for a scrum offence can provide a team with the opportunity to kick for goal and secure the decisive points needed to win the game. </p>
<p>There is scope for mistakes in all decisions, but the scrum is fundamentally flawed. It is often impossible to follow (not offend) or apply the laws (identify the offender). First, the sheer <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-our-new-scrum-technique-will-make-the-rugby-world-cup-safer-for-players-47530">biomechanical complexity</a> and the combination of forces involved means that even the most advanced sports scientist in a laboratory could not isolate the cause of a scrum collapsing, wheeling or “popping up”. </p>
<p>Let me focus on one offence. A scrum collapses as a result of a chain of events involving both teams. Even if the latest technology could map the sequence of events accurately, we would still be required to decide which one would be seen as decisive – the “cause” of the collapse. Referees will never have technological aids to tell them who caused the collapse and therefore who should be punished 100% of the time. They have to rely on other cues, experience and intuition. They may of course be right on occasions, but that is not an expression of genuine knowledge. </p>
<h2>Unfair punishment</h2>
<p>If they are uncertain, the referee should reset the scrum. Potentially therefore, there could be an infinite number of scrums. Justice should not be rushed, but players and spectators alike would soon turn their back on a game where scrums proliferate. Referees are thereby required to act decisively to avoid repetitive scrums by identifying and punishing an offender. Despite the absence of unequivocal evidence, the referee has to make a call. Often the team deemed to have the weakest scrum is penalised.</p>
<p>It certainly doesn’t follow that the weakest team is guilty. Scrummaging superiority is often attributed to “<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/alan-watkins-time-for-enlightenment-on-dark-arts-of-front-row-515419.html">dark arts</a>” – dubious and deceptive tactics which force the opponent’s scrum to disintegrate. </p>
<p>But even if the referee could be certain that the scrum collapse was a result of one team failing to withstand the pressure from the other team, this does not mean that they should be punished. It may be physically impossible for them not to break the law. The combination of forces on their body means that they are not acting, but being acted upon. Their actions are out of their hands – they are subject to forces that they cannot resist. </p>
<p>This is not an observation about the relative ability or intention of any given player, but an observation about the scrum. The players did not intend to collapse the scrum, in fact they may have been trying their best not to, given the potential consequences. When a player is singled out as the offender, they are often being punished for an act over which they had little or no control. Strictly speaking, they don’t deserve to be punished and their team surely does not deserve to lose. </p>
<h2>Just rewards?</h2>
<p>Some may counter that the penalty is just reward for superior skill, but there are problems with this approach. What is a weaker scrum to do? Retreat backward towards their own try line in an orderly fashion? Even if they attempted to stay bound, keep square on with shoulders above hips, they will inevitably offend or be judged to have offended. </p>
<p>The reward for superior skill in rugby should be tries and the scrum is supposed to provide an opportunity for one team to gain possession and attack the open field. Instead the scrum is a lottery providing a slow ball at best and a sequence of penalties at worst. For teams who are dominant, it is now used as a tactic to get a penalty or a penalty try and potentially to reduce the opposition numbers as a result of a yellow card. </p>
<p>So the scrum as practised today has little to do with justice, fairness or merit and perhaps more importantly for the World Cup, has little to do with entertainment. Let’s hope that the decisive score in this year’s World Cup isn’t the result of the referee guessing who offended.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48719/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carwyn Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s impossible to police a scrum properly, and the consequences of the wrong decision are simply too great.Carwyn Jones, Professor in Sports Ethics, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/302742014-08-08T08:08:53Z2014-08-08T08:08:53ZHoward Webb’s new job is to train a generation of super-refs<p>Howard Webb, one of modern football’s most successful referees, has <a href="http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2014-15/aug/howard-webb-appointed-technical-director-of-PGMOL.html">announced his retirement</a>. Webb achieved much in his career, most notably in 2010 taking charge of the finals of both the World Cup and the Champions League. His decision to continue officiating after that season demonstrates an intense determination and drive to succeed. Now, the former police sergeant’s next challenge is to bring the youth development methods of football itself to the world of refereeing.</p>
<p>Webb has essentially “moved upstairs” into a senior role at his current employer, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) – the organisation that oversees every stage of football refereeing in England. His position, technical director, has been created specifically for him and it will be Webb’s job to help identify, train and support the next generation of talented referees from semi-professional football as they make their way through the ranks. </p>
<p>Webb had other options, including media work. After all, football programmes and pundits constantly question refereeing decisions and performances throughout the season, and it could have been advantageous to have a recently retired high profile referee giving their side of things (although BT Sport’s <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2519548/BT-Sport-drop-Mark-Halsey-live-coverage-Premier-League-refs-comments.html">experiment</a> with another retired ref, Mark Halsey, was hit and miss). </p>
<p>Webb was about as media friendly as any referee in the game today can be, especially given the demand that match officials do not speak to the media after games or explain decisions. Perhaps the media is not ready to hear views about the game from a referees’ perspective. Indeed, much of Webb’s involvement with the media was through UEFA and FIFA assignments rather than domestically, although this new role could also involve a level of media involvement.</p>
<p>But it is the perceived need for a refereeing technical director role at all that tells us more about modern football. Similar roles have been around for a while on the playing side of football – for instance Dan Ashworth is currently <a href="http://www.thefa.com/News/2012/sep/dan-ashworth-appointed.aspx">the FA’s head of elite development</a> after a very successful spell as West Bromwich Albion’s technical director. But a similar job developing the next generation of elite referees? This is a new development, and it is clear why keeping someone with Howard Webb’s experience and profile in refereeing was considered so important.</p>
<p>It is clear why more talented referees are required. Football is a major industry and the financial rewards on offer can be huge. The Premier League, for instance, is now broadcast by 80 different networks, watched in 212 countries by 4.7 billion people <a href="http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/about/the-worlds-most-watched-league.html">in 643m homes</a>. The latest round of broadcasting sales <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18430036">raised £3.018 billion</a>. </p>
<p>Therefore the best referees are required to ensure that decision making, fitness and match performance are as close to perfect as they can be. There is so much money involved in football today that this cannot be negotiable.</p>
<p>However, whether fast-tracking young and talented officials into football’s upper echelons is the answer remains to be seen. It has been tried in the recent past with mixed results, and whether the experience referees have traditionally gained from promotion through the league pyramid can be replaced with additional training, mentoring and support is something often debated in refereeing circles.</p>
<p>Other comparable leagues in Europe, such as La Liga in Spain or Serie A in Italy, do not promote officials at such a young age. They believe referees require more experience in the lower leagues before officiating in their professional leagues.</p>
<p>This new role should be commended as a positive step in the development pathway for talented referees, although doubts will remain over the fast tracking of referees. Howard Webb’s role will be to try and improve this development process and ensure that more referees with potential can progress through the league system in England. Surely there is no better candidate to oversee this?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/30274/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Webb does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Howard Webb, one of modern football’s most successful referees, has announced his retirement. Webb achieved much in his career, most notably in 2010 taking charge of the finals of both the World Cup and…Tom Webb, Senior Lecturer in Sports Development, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/290612014-07-11T09:42:01Z2014-07-11T09:42:01ZCut referees some slack, most have done a good job
<p>In a tournament of 64 games, there were bound to be issues of contention, especially in a competition that carries so many national hopes with it. But the general standard of refereeing has been good throughout the tournament. Controversy over refereeing decisions at the World Cup in Brazil has been relatively small. </p>
<p>Despite this general standard, there have been a few contentious and high profile incidents – from Brazil’s penalty in the opening match and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jun/13/mexico-cameroon-disallowed-goals-referees-controversy-world-cup">two goals disallowed for offside</a> in the Mexico-Cameroon match to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-07/fifa-denies-referees-told-to-be-lenient-in-wake-of-injury.html">rumours of leniency</a>.</p>
<h2>The problem of flow</h2>
<p>One of the most controversial games of the tournament from a refereeing standpoint was the foul-ridden Brazil-Colombia quarter-final. The leniency shown by the match’s Spanish official, Carlos Velasco Carballo, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/worldcup/neymar-out-of-world-cup-2014-fifa-to-blame-for-thuggery-which-flattened-brazil-forward-9588097.html">was criticised</a> for not being more authoritative and encouraging behaviour that led to a tournament-ending foul on Neymar. </p>
<p>The injury to Brazil’s star player somewhat overshadowed the fact that Brazil committed their fair share of fouls during the match. Neymar’s injury may have been the headline incident, but the Colombian players also took a considerable amount of punishment; Brazil actually committed more fouls, 31 to Columbia’s 23, with both teams receiving two yellow cards. </p>
<p>So if Carballo had not allowed the game to flow, would he have been accused of ruining the spectacle of the game? This is something that happened to referee Howard Webb who officiated the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Holland. Webb clamped down on the behaviour of the players and therefore the game did not flow as well. The alternative was perhaps to approach the game as Carballo did for the Brazil-Colombia match. But then he’d risk letting bad behaviour escalate. This is not to excuse mistakes that referees might make, but it is a difficult task for the officials. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-tricky-business-of-cross-cultural-refereeing-27946">cultural differences</a> between referees and how they officiate is a significant issue to overcome at the World Cup and clearly they need further guidance on dealing with different cultures and mentalities. This understanding also extends to the players and managers. The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jul/08/germany-brazil-joachim-low-referee-brutal-tackling">German team</a> stated that their hopes that the Mexican referee, Marco Rodriguez, would approach their semi-final with Brazil in a different way to how Brazil’s match with Colombia was officiated. However, FIFA stated before the tournament had even begun that the training that the referees were going through should ensure that there was no change in performance by the match officials. </p>
<p>There is a fine line between controlling and punishing players and allowing the match to flow. The reality is that fans, observers and footballing authorities want both. FIFA want a spectacle, they want a product that has value and for that they need exciting matches and goals; television companies want much the same because they want people to watch the games. Managers, on the other hand, want protection for their players, while also allowing them to express themselves. </p>
<h2>Faked fouls</h2>
<p>The behavioural differences that exist between different leagues and countries also extends to the issue of diving, or simulation, to gain a competitive advantage over the opposition and deceive the referee. In the age of slow motion replays, it’s easy to forget the speed at which players like Arjen Robben are moving in real time when they fall to the ground. The fact that referees don’t always detect this behaviour shouldn’t be criticised.</p>
<p>Robben has admitted that he dived in the Holland-Mexico match and there have been other incidents where he has over reacted or attempted to create a foul by simulating a fall out of a tackle. And he is not alone. Surely FIFA and other organisations must start helping referees deal with issues related to player behaviour. If this is to be a feature of the game, the best way to tackle it should be explored, whether it is retrospective punishment, additional technology or something else.</p>
<p>Referees have demonstrated some excellent performances during the World Cup. There have been contentious incidents and errors but this is football, these incidents are part of the game. The World Cup has further highlighted that it is very challenging to train referees to deal with players from different countries. It has also become more apparent that referees require greater support and assistance to deal with issues such as player behaviour. </p>
<p>Bringing together referees from all over the world is a difficult task. Differences in style and performance are accentuated in the melting pot of a tournament like the World Cup. The danger is that we forget the positives and accentuate the problems. Hopefully our memory of Brazil 2014 will be different. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29061/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
In a tournament of 64 games, there were bound to be issues of contention, especially in a competition that carries so many national hopes with it. But the general standard of refereeing has been good throughout…Tom Webb, Senior Lecturer in Sports Development, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/283202014-06-24T04:47:08Z2014-06-24T04:47:08ZDrawing the line between video evidence and the ‘spirit of sport’<p>Sporting referees are worthy of our admiration. Every time they officiate they are required to make split second real-time decisions. Sometimes they get it right – and sometimes they don’t. They are what make games possible, and they do so in a very fallible way.</p>
<p>In professional sport, all referee errors have an indefinite life span due to the availability of live and recorded video records. It is a paradox that the media use to report on “<a href="http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/worldcup/2014/0618/624593-kerzhakov-saves-russia-after-goalkeeper-howler/">howlers</a>”. Advances in video technology are put forward as an option for narrowing the margin for referee error. </p>
<p>The discussion about the use of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/technology-vs-discretion-how-to-save-world-cup-refereeing-dignity-28059">helpful technologies</a>” and “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/sports/lets-go-to-the-tape-how-other-sports-handle-video-review.html">indisputable video evidence</a>” raises fundamental issues about the essence of games in a digital age. Is the increased use of video to support referee decision-making better than the present status quo?</p>
<h2>Video evidence</h2>
<p>More and more sports are using video evidence to affirm or change officiating decisions. Increasing the use of “helpful technology” would seem to be a logical extension of the increasing number of broadcast cameras at sporting events. </p>
<p>Many years ago, the broadcasts of sport events used a single dominant camera position. In football, this picture came from an elevated position on the half way line. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Football matches used to be shot from the halfway mark.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Today, the availability of high speed, high definition cameras – not to mention instantaneous replay from multiple perspectives – has transformed the viewing experience of armchair spectators. The presence of large screens within stadiums has changed the relationship of the ticket-holding spectator too.</p>
<p>There has been a concerted effort to combine the viewing experience of both audiences so that neither is disadvantaged by their location. This has been particularly the case when technological innovation has been used to determine the accuracy of referee and umpire decisions. In the case of golf, it has led to viewers <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sports/golf/television-viewers-flag-rule-violations-as-golf-officials-take-note.html">pointing out</a> rule infractions to on-course officials.</p>
<p>FIFA’s commissioning of goal-line technology for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was in part due to the decision not to award a goal in real-time to Frank Lampard in a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8771294.stm">2010 World Cup game</a> (below).</p>
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</figure>
<p>The goal-line technology was used to confirm a goal had been scored in the recent game between <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-goal-line-technology-and-the-world-cup-28036">France and Honduras</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-8e_cdg0NDw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Despite the obvious benefits, there are still some issues with “helpful technology” and the claims made for “indisputable video evidence”.</p>
<h2>Objective evidence</h2>
<p>At the 2012 US Olympic trials, a finish-line photography system with cameras capable of capturing up to 5000 frames per second was used to determine the finishing order in sprint races.</p>
<p>Despite the precision of the system, judges were unable to separate Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix and a <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/06/26/olympic_runners_tie_allyson_felix_and_jeneba_tarmoh_can_flip_a_coin_or_run_again_which_is_best_.html">dead heat</a> was recorded for third place. </p>
<p>Professor of communication studies at Wilfrid Laurier University Jonathan Finn <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523367.2014.907795#.U6J-2i_EN_0">points out</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whether in the form of John C. Hemment’s late nineteenth century use of the camera to judge horse races or the use of highly sophisticated finish-line cameras at the 2012 US Olympic Trials, the rationale is the same: the image will reveal things that the naked eye cannot see. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>He adds: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>In this way, the use of the image at the US Trials mirrored a long-standing practice of privileging machine-made images as arbiters of truth, objectivity, and accuracy.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Two contributors to The Conversation have questioned the accuracy of machine-made images. Harry Collins wrote about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/out-goal-the-ball-was-in-but-could-hawk-eye-get-it-wrong-20741">Hawk-Eye system</a> and observed: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>More and more, computers are able to simulate what looks like reality and this is dangerous for the future of society. The public needs to learn to question technological claims such as those that have been made for anti-missile weapons systems. In certain sports some spectators think that technology is infallible when it is not.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And Robin Braun <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-hawk-eye-for-detail-how-accurate-is-electronic-judging-in-sport-8136">suggests</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] electronic judging tries to do a good job of reducing the uncertainty of human observation in sport. Mostly it “gets it right” – more often than humans do – but there are no absolutes.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The 23rd player</h2>
<p>I started working with referees and referee coaches in the 1990s. For the past two decades I have argued that the support given to referees should not be less than that given to players. </p>
<p>My aim throughout this period has been to encourage the invisibility of referees while enhancing their training to make real-time decisions as accurately as possible.</p>
<p>I believe a referee is the 23rd player in any game of football – as does <a href="http://eprints.qut.edu.au/61021/1/Scott_Russell_Thesis.pdf">Scott Russell</a>, who suggests in his masters thesis: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] administrators should aim to value the intentions and the role of the referee in the match as though they were a legitimate “23rd player”, with the actions and decisions of excellent referees, only contributing positively to the beauty of the game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is some evidence that video and computer simulation training can have a <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Werner_Helsen/publication/49799886_Training_of_perceptual-cognitive_skills_in_offside_decision_making/file/9fcfd510c020aa65d9.pdf">significant impact</a> on positive, real-time, in-game decision-making by referees and their assistants. </p>
<p>While being the 23rd player, the referee is a member of a team of three also. There are two assistant referees to support the referee. At the 2014 World Cup all appointments to officiate at games is made to a <a href="http://footballrefereeing.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/fifa-world-cup-2014-referees.html#.U6KLsC_EN_0">team of three</a>. These trios have the opportunity to prepare for games and anticipate their responses to high-speed play.</p>
<h2>Maintaining flow</h2>
<p>When we reflect on great games of football, we tend not to know who refereed these games. We do tend to remember poor officiating. Both experiences tell us something about the art of game management.</p>
<p>One of my main concerns about the calls for the use of more video evidence in football is that such evidence will impinge not only upon the flow of a game but also affect how referees and their assistants manage games. The best referees work closely with their assistants to deliver consistency throughout a game.</p>
<p>I have two other real dilemmas with calls for more video evidence to be used in football:</p>
<ol>
<li>the reliance we place on recorded images, even though there is evidence that these cannot guarantee absolute precision</li>
<li>the use of video technologies at major sporting events is not scalable. </li>
</ol>
<p>One of football’s claims to being a world game is that it does not require sophisticated equipment. It can be played almost anywhere. At a local level it requires a consensus about the rules in play, including the imagined height of a crossbar.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51862/original/rg5xvpvt-1403492878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51862/original/rg5xvpvt-1403492878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51862/original/rg5xvpvt-1403492878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51862/original/rg5xvpvt-1403492878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51862/original/rg5xvpvt-1403492878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51862/original/rg5xvpvt-1403492878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51862/original/rg5xvpvt-1403492878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To play football, all you really need is the ball.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/joarder/14096485068/in/photolist-c7JRhm-2vsZsJ-8uNxub-ntEaU1-a9EmDk-8MVHMY-a9Ha57-a9Erfp-k2F7Ja-5gQoPu-a9H1mA-fGr6hJ-fG99ra-fG9txr-fGa1MP-fGqyL7-fGqQKy-fGr7kS-fGqPus-fGqUp3-fG9gha-fG9cD2-fG8VYe-fGqTcJ-fG9bx6-fGqvDE-fGqxEq-fG9asZ-fG9ZjR-fG9z6R-a9Eqig-a9Eion-a9HdFA-a9Er2a-a9H9SY-a9HdqY-a9HaNL-a9H22C-a9EdVg-a9H9GW-a9Eewx-a9EdLB-5gQoFJ-3L9V3i-a9H29d-a9EeTr-a9EeHg-a9E8LK-a9GVS7-a9H2km">Rakib Hasan Sumon/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I am one of those spirit-of-the-game people. In game playing that is officiated I accept the risk of unfavourable and favourable treatment. I anticipate fallibility and recognise it as an inevitable part of a real-time event that is adjudicated by someone other than the players.</p>
<p>I imagine that given the importance of goal-scoring in football there will be increasing demand to adjudicate offside and penalty decisions with augmented video information. This brings about a very technical consideration of the status of machine-made images compared to the human eye.</p>
<p>Refereeing performance is a very public performance in televised sport. The profusion of digital images and commentary will require us to be very clear about how we manage video evidence for future forms of a game and for the referees who volunteer to be that 23rd player.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/28320/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Lyons does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sporting referees are worthy of our admiration. Every time they officiate they are required to make split second real-time decisions. Sometimes they get it right – and sometimes they don’t. They are what…Keith Lyons, Adjunct Professor of Sport Studies, UC-RISE, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/280592014-06-18T20:43:53Z2014-06-18T20:43:53ZTechnology vs discretion: how to save World Cup refereeing dignity<p>From the perspective of fairness, the <a href="http://theconversation.com/au/world-cup-2014">2014 World Cup</a> has been off to a remarkably bad start. </p>
<p>The opening game included at least two highly questionable decisions by the referee. First, the very generous penalty kick awarded in Brazil’s favour, and then Croatia had a goal disallowed on equally weak grounds.</p>
<p>The second game saw Mexico miss out on two goals due to controversial decisions by the referees, and in the game between Spain and the Netherlands, it was again the case that a penalty kick was awarded on very weak grounds.</p>
<p>The performance of the referees has been met with strong, and unusually universal, criticism. Commenting on the penalty situation that saw Brazil equalise in the opening game, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Fr%C3%B6jdfeldt">Peter Fröjdfeldt</a> – a former <a href="http://www.uefa.com/">UEFA</a> referee – <a href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/landslagsfotboll/vm2014/article19051353.ab">observed</a> that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>He [Nishimura, the referee] was well placed and he looked very convinced when he blew the whistle. But I do not think he is equally convinced when he gets to see the situation again.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In this, I think we can perceive a hint at where we will find the solution to the problem plaguing this World Cup, as it has in the past as well. The solution is, of course, the adoption of technologies such as replay footage for the referees.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-goal-line-technology-and-the-world-cup-28036">pointed out</a> by Keith Lyons, we have already seen the positive effect of the goal line technology in the match between France and Honduras (see the video below).</p>
<figure>
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</figure>
<p>Taking this to its logical extension – that is, the use of technology to ensure correct decisions by the referees – we may well picture a future where referees are wearing Google Glass (or a similar product from some other provider – FIFA Glass perhaps?).</p>
<p>After all, the calls for referees to get glasses, or get stronger glasses, are commonly chanted at football arenas. Such a tool could indicate offsides in real-time, and could be used to provide the referees with instant multi-angle replays of controversial situations.</p>
<p>Opponents of the use of cameras will say that such technologies take away the soul of the game. But let’s think back to the game between Italy and Australia at the 2006 World Cup. Italy was awarded a completely unfair penalty kick resulting in Australia’s premature departure from that tournament. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">It still hurts.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I wonder how many Australians took a sigh of relief when seeing the “soul of the game” being preserved on that occasion.</p>
<h2>Enter legal philosophy</h2>
<p>One of the central debates in legal philosophy has been focused on so-called “judicial discretion” – to what extent do, and should, judges enjoy discretion in the judgements they make?</p>
<p>Most non-lawyers would probably be surprised at any suggestion that judges exercise discretion in deciding cases. But even though there probably is not a single matter legal philosophers agree upon universally, there is widespread recognition that judges do exercise such discretion.</p>
<p>One way of explaining the sources of this discretion goes like this: the facts of a case may be impossible to ascertain with 100% certainty (for example, is a particular witness telling the truth?) and some laws are intentionally, or unintentionally, vague (advertisement is not allowed to be misleading, but what does it take for it to be classed as misleading?). </p>
<p>Consequently, there is not always just one way in which to interpret the facts and/or the law, and the judge must exercise a degree of discretion and chose amongst several possible ways in which to decide the case.</p>
<p>Some will see the judges’ discretion to interpret vague laws as beneficial in that it may advance the legal system, but few would argue that there are any benefits stemming from the impossibility of, for example, ascertaining whether a witness is lying or not. </p>
<p>And here, sports such as football enjoy two important advantages over the legal system:</p>
<ol>
<li>The rules of football are not vague and open to interpretation in the way many legal rules are</li>
<li>Football games take place in predetermined locations at which it is reasonable to install advanced surveillance equipment monitoring the game. In sports, we can use technology to find the correct facts to a greater extent than we can in society in general.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>Maybe it is the case that both our judges and our referees are enjoying too much discretion? Perhaps paradoxically, it may be the case that we have to accept that judges exercise discretion, but maybe we can do more to limit the discretion enjoyed by the World Cup referees. And it is here the cameras and other technology come into the picture.</p>
<p>Some will say that cameras do not change the level of discretion; it only leaves the referees with a more informed discretion. </p>
<p>I think that is wrong. The level of discretion is to a great extent depending on our expectations of the referees and if they have the benefit of helpful technologies our expectations can be raised and the referees will hopefully rise to the challenge.</p>
<p>A lot, including national pride and huge amounts of money, is at stake at an event such as the World Cup. It then seems a bit odd that we are not more careful to make sure that the decisions by the referees – decisions that are determinative – are based on facts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/28059/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dan Jerker B. Svantesson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From the perspective of fairness, the 2014 World Cup has been off to a remarkably bad start. The opening game included at least two highly questionable decisions by the referee. First, the very generous…Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Co-Director Centre for Commercial Law, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.