2008 Woodie Awards
Indecision may or may not be referees problem
Paul McNeill
Issue date: 1/24/06 Section: Sports
Livingstone's Jennifer Miller nailed a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in the Lady Blue Bears' basketball game against North Carolina Central on Jan. 17. The trey put Livingstone ahead by one, capping the Lady Blue Bears' comeback from a 20-point deficit with a little less than six minutes to go.
But the referees decided to be party poopers.
Just after Miller's shot swished through the net, several Livingstone fans rushed the court of William Trent Gymnasium to celebrate the come-from-behind win. The refs called a technical foul on the Lady Blue Bears, and N.C. Central's Karla Gamble went to the foul line and sank both free throws to give the Eagles a 79-78 win.
Just one day before, the North Carolina A&T men's team beat Bethune-Cookman 69-67 live on ESPN2, giving the Aggies their first win since last season. After the buzzer, jubilant Aggie fans stormed the court to commemorate N.C. A&T's big win.
And guess what? No whistle blew and no technical was called.
Why? Because the refs caved to outside pressure.
In a game aired on national television, two historically black colleges played to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legendary N.C. A&T men's basketball coaches Cal Irvin and Don Corbett were also in attendance, honored before the game by having the court named after them.
The refs felt the pressure of the moment and didn't make the right call because it would've been unpopular and unquestionably angered the Aggie fans that packed the arena.
The Livingstone refs, on the other hand, officiated in front of 500 people, and knew the game wasn't going to be on television or heavily reported in newspapers. They were free to make the unpopular - and correct - decision.
But there lies the problem. Referees aren't politicians. They have to make the right call, popular or unpopular, all the time. Refs can't yield to crowd noise or the heat of the moment. Every game - big and small, important or insignificant - has to be called consistently.
But the referees decided to be party poopers.
Just after Miller's shot swished through the net, several Livingstone fans rushed the court of William Trent Gymnasium to celebrate the come-from-behind win. The refs called a technical foul on the Lady Blue Bears, and N.C. Central's Karla Gamble went to the foul line and sank both free throws to give the Eagles a 79-78 win.
Just one day before, the North Carolina A&T men's team beat Bethune-Cookman 69-67 live on ESPN2, giving the Aggies their first win since last season. After the buzzer, jubilant Aggie fans stormed the court to commemorate N.C. A&T's big win.
And guess what? No whistle blew and no technical was called.
Why? Because the refs caved to outside pressure.
In a game aired on national television, two historically black colleges played to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legendary N.C. A&T men's basketball coaches Cal Irvin and Don Corbett were also in attendance, honored before the game by having the court named after them.
The refs felt the pressure of the moment and didn't make the right call because it would've been unpopular and unquestionably angered the Aggie fans that packed the arena.
The Livingstone refs, on the other hand, officiated in front of 500 people, and knew the game wasn't going to be on television or heavily reported in newspapers. They were free to make the unpopular - and correct - decision.
But there lies the problem. Referees aren't politicians. They have to make the right call, popular or unpopular, all the time. Refs can't yield to crowd noise or the heat of the moment. Every game - big and small, important or insignificant - has to be called consistently.
