In a wild year of sports, poor officiating has been a critical component in close games, both in the NFL and NBA. Especially in the NFL, consistency has been an issue. The Chiefs’ 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game is a prime example.
While dealing with a high ankle sprain, Patrick Mahomes put on a show to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the AFC Championship Game, but the officiating inconsistencies were an equally big storyline. Most notable was the play in which the official attempted to stop the play before the snap, but the play had already started. The Bengals had stopped the Chiefs on third and nine but were in disbelief when the Chiefs got a redo.
While some fans are arguing that it was to reset the clock and that it was the correct call, it was still a shady moment.
Goodell Applauds Officiating In The NFL
Although Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, defended officiating, stating that it’s “never been better,” he also supported the referee stopping the Chiefs’ third down play. “In the championship game, the officiator stopped the play appropriately. The clock was running by an official on the field.”
But the official said the clock would run at the blow of his whistle, which it did.
There was also an intentional grounding play on Joe Burrow that had a factor late in the game. The vast majority would argue that Perine was near the thrown pass. The contact from defensive tackle Chris Jones may have also affected the access. It’s not intentional grounding due to the contact impacting Joe Burrow, QB, which affected him in getting the ball to the receiver.
Other key factors could have contributed to the Bengals losing to the Chiefs. Questionable pass interference calls, a missed block in the back, holding calls, and a late roughing the passer call, all but helped seal the AFC Championship Game for Kansas City.
There’s no definitive proof that the NFL is rigged, but there can be foul play in many ways. It’s been trending for recent weeks, and it’s living up to the potential of holding significant weight.
The Controversial Call That Infuriated The King
Hours before the AFC Championship Game, the Los Angeles Lakers were in a nail-biter with the Boston Celtics where questionable officiating was also on display.
With 4.1 seconds left, Lebron James, SF, was driving to the hole to win the basketball game. Still, his layup fell short after being fouled by Jayson Tatum, PF. The referees missed the call, which resulted in the game going overtime. The King went crazy after the no-call. He got hit on the wrist.
Patrick Beverley, PG, who recently got traded to the Orlando Magic, was also in awe of the no-call. The furious point guard pointed out to the referees that his teammate seemingly got fouled at the end of the game as he grabbed the camera to show the referee what happened in the play.
The Lakers fell short to the Celtics in overtime, 125-121.
The referees received extensive backlash covering these two games due to misleading calls that lifted the Chiefs over the Bengals and the Celtics over the Lakers.
Given the long history of the teams, it is evident that something controversial would happen.
Bad officiating in both sports has been detrimental, resulting in fans rioting or being upset. The sports world has covered the unfortunate events of bad officiating for the past couple of weeks. It’s head-scratching seeing blasphemous calls and missed calls by referees in today’s sports world. Unlawfulness in sports prohibits those who enjoy watching, and many have stopped because of the officiating miscues.
The National Football League and the National Basketball Association’s officiating inconsistency plays a significant role in both sports. It’s excruciating to watch; it’s even more so frustrating with implemented replay reviews to help the officiators make the right call.
In the NFL, the main focus of the replay is to review the play. Instead, the study is justified to “make a call” rather than overturning bad calls or making the right call. Sometimes the wrong call can be made, fueling the need for more consistency in officiating.
The lack of consistent refereeing continues in both leagues and needs to be addressed to prevent it from overshadowing the fans’ excitement and love of the game.
