Study: College Refs Hold Bias

[Bricklayer]

Now, you may wonder why I posted this in the NBA forum -- it was intentional. Remember this summer when that study came out showing that NBA refs favored home teams, made make up calls, called more fouls on the team that was ahead etc.? It was pointed to as a sign of dirtyness, conspiracy etc. etc.

Well read this article of a similar study done on college referees -- its not NBA refs, its all refs. Its human nature:


Fewer fouls called on home team
Associated Press
November 23, 2009

They don't all need glasses. But if you always suspected basketball referees are biased -- well, you're right, according to a couple of professors who've studied the matter.

Refs favor the home team, the academics say. They're big on "make-up" calls. They make more calls against teams in the lead, and the discrepancy grows if the game is on national TV.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4682821

 

[VF21]

Thanks for posting this. I'd sure like to see the officials make some ... er ... official reply. I'm not going to hold my breath however...

 

[Superman]

I think this is especially true in basketball. It's a much more subjective sport to officiate.

 

[uolj]

Not a surprise, of course. Even the study that said refs call fouls differently based on race had basically the same point. There are lots of subconscious factors that go into something as subjective as basketball officiating.

That's why the NBA can claim there is no conspiracy to favor home teams, superstars, or the team that is behind, but it could still happen because of subconscious tendencies.

That's why I think the league(s) should do whatever they can to instill the idea of objectivity and consistency in the training of their officials. A big thing ten years ago that may or may not still be around was managing the game. The NBA wanted the refs to call the game differently if it was getting too physical or out of hand. That kind of instruction just exacerbates the subconscious bias problems inherent in human nature and should be replaced with an emphasis on making calls the same regardless of situation.

 

[VF21]

I agree with consistency but I'd also like to see them stress accuracy. And it might also be good if they pointed out that people aren't there to watch players shoot free throws. Calling ticky-tack fouls does no one any good.

 

[hrdboild]

I think the best thing for the game of basketball is to take the game out of the refs hands as much as possible and let the players decide it. If that means less ticky-tack foul calls and a more aggressive style of play, I'm okay with that. But I absolutely hate watching games knowing that superstars are going to get calls nobody else gets, rookies are going to get hacked repeatedly without getting free throws, home teams are always going to get the benefit of the doubt, and so on. It's endless frustration. Just call the game the same way for everyone, that's all I want. If the human factor means that is impossible (which I don't believe -- it may be impossible for some refs but not all of them) then the rules should be changed so the refs don't have to make as many calls.