Which Sport Is the Most Difficult to Officiate?

There's so much talk lately about referees, and I've seen comparisons with other sports used in some of the debates. That led me to wondering what people think is the most difficult sport to officiate: basketball, baseball, football or hockey. And why. I'm putting it in the form of a poll and encouraging people to express their reasons too. And, yes, I realize that degree of difficulty has nothing to do with ethics.

There are many factors to consider. But the bottom line for me is that basketball presents a basic paradox to officials. In fairly fast, mostly non-stop action, it forces players to operate in close proximity but basically outlaws contact.

I think the system counted my vote as two. Wish I could get that kind of deal in national elections.

Thanks,

Sam

Baseball and Basketball are the two most difficult IMO, because a big part of the game is using officials calls to your benefit.

In Basketball, part of the play involves the refs – where players actually use fakes, to draw fouls, to get to the line as part of their strategy. So, having a consistent well officiated game is vital to the flow of the game. Drawing offensive charges for example is part of a well played game….so the refs are involved, even in a perfectly played game.

In theory, a well played football game or hockey game, might feature minimal to no real calls by the officials…..back and forth up and down on the ice, or like the game last night against the Patriots – one team just running up and down the field, trampling the opponent.

I think that because of the shear fact that balls and strikes occurs on every play – the home plate umpire has the most difficult job in sports. But basketball is the sport that I believe have changed the most over the years from a game played on the floor, to a game played over the rim. I am not sure modern refs have adapted as well as they have in other sports.

Sam,

I'm going with baseball on this one.

As Kleen pointed out, and I whole-heartedly concurr, the home plate umpire has the most difficult task in sports. Furthermore the split second judgement needed in the field to make calls on tags or force-outs elevates umpires, in my opinion, well beyond the visual acuity and nerve needed to officiate other sports.

Regards

Sam
To me Basketball is much more complex. Baseball on the other hand is rather routine ( at least to me) since I have had a working knowledge of the rules for some 65 years. When I say routine I do not neccessarily mean easy, but rather repetitive in nature. You can go a whole game in baseball where the only calls being made are ball-strike, out-safe, fair- foul. Very little gray area there. On the other hand I find myself puzzled several times a night by some of the calls made in basketball. For me I think its clearly a lack of understanding of the rules. I am getting better though thanks to a site that I stumbled onto about a month ago that lends a little visual aid to the rules explanation. I went to the site yesterday to bone up on Technical Fouls. (You will find it under Rasheed) I found the site to be quite helpful. Check it out.

http://www.nba.com/videorulebook/

swish

I know it is not an option in this poll but soccer is a difficult sport to officiate. Big distances but also the fact that so much of things are going on "off the ball". The referee tries to follow the ball and stay close to it but that automatically gets him far away from other players.

Hockey has somewhat of the same problem (things going on behind the referees back) but much shorter distances.

For a soccer game there is usually 1 main referee, 2 referees that handle "out of bounds" and offside (nowadays they are also allowed to help referee and give information to the main referee) and then whats called the "4th" referee which deals with substitutions and such.

I would have trouble officiating female nude wrestling.....but that's just me.

LACF,

The big problem would be when you keep getting the jello in your eyes.

Sam

Swede,

I just tried to edit the original post to add soccer to the list, but I couldn't do it. Sorry about that.

But your response is duly noted.

Sam

Didn't get ant time to elaborate much on this yet.

I have refed basketball and umped baseball so I have a little insite on those but have never done football and don't ice skate so that eliminated hockey somewhat. (of course i went on to think it the toughest)

I think baseball might be the easiest to ump. If an ump is in position and does not anticipate (of course the same can be said of all sports) most calls are pretty easy and there are only a couple each game that might be considered close. Major league umps certainly give the appearance that it is hard to judge if a ball is fair by a foot or foul.

Football would be next easiest as there are so many breaks and with many officials having particular jobs and limited areas of things to look for and see. Of course "they" always say you could call offensive holding on every play so I guess knowing when to call it is tough.

Hockey and hoop are non-stop action although it ebs and flows.

Gotta go with Hockey as slightly tougher to ref than hoops. Perhaps if I understood or knew the rules a lot better I'd pick hoops.
Only one ref in hockey vs 12 players of which 10 are in motion and in pretty constant contact as opposed to basketball. Watching this thru 1 pair of eyes is tough to call penalties and seems many are missed. Yes there are 2 secondary officials to handle the offsides and icing calls and perhaps assist in others (of course they are the ones that have to stick their noses in when to players square off in a fight once they fall to the ice usually) the ref usually just stands nearby and watches things then makes the appropriate calls for penalties.

Basketball with 3 officials that are usually surrounding all players on the floor unlike hockey where there may be action behind the lone official.

Hoops has more lines on the floor to be concerned with than an ice rink does too but the play is a bit slower pace than hockey.

Just my 2 cents.

Toughest to easiest
1 Hockey
2 Basketball
3 football
4 baseball

beat

beat

Beat,

I agree on all points. I have done baseball and had a tougher time officiating grass growing. Football has 7 guys with different responsibilities. Basketball and Hockey similar because of the speed and give the edge to hockey because of the skating and fighting thing.

Hoop

Sam wrote:LACF,

The big problem would be when you keep getting the jello in your eyes.

Sam

Sadly enough, for Bill Cosby and the world, that's the jello commercial he never got to do.

You forgot curling!

112288

Dont you guys think it is a little unfair to judge your experience umpiring little league or rec softball vs. a major league game?

Well, for one thing, I didn't specify pro sports in starting the thread. My intent was to compare sports based on their inherent differences. When I selected basketball, I'm sure I couldn't help but to consider (at least subconsciously) my own experience in calling balls and strikes versus my own experience in having guys teed off at me when I called an out-of-bounds play with two guys simultaneously reaching for a ball. It seems to me that questions like this one are answered based on (1) the ground rules that are or aren't implicit in the wording of the questions and (2) our respective perceptions, however those perceptions are formed.

Sam