Hey, athletes, leave those refs alone

This past Thanksgiving, as many Americans reclined upon their couches with a leg of turkey in one hand and a remote control in the other, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis was fuming. Just seconds before the beginning of overtime in a heated contest against the Detroit Lions, Bettis had clearly called tails in a pivotal coin toss that would decide which team gained first possession of the ball. Referee Phil Luckett, who later revealed that he was suffering from an acute case of corncob-between-the-ears syndrome, heard differently. Claiming that Bettis had called heads, he proceeded to give possession to the Lions. Three minutes later, Lions kicker Jason Hanson booted a 42-yard field goal between the uprights of the Pontiac Silverdome, sealing a bizarre, controversial 19-16 victory for floundering Detroit. "I'm not saying we lost the game because of the officials," said Steelers coach Bill Cowher with uncharacteristic restraint. "But it's a shame that this is the center of focus after a game like that."

Unfortunately, the controversy did not end there. Three days later, before a capacity crowd at Foxboro Stadium in Mass., the New England Patriots reaped the benefits of two dubious calls en route to their 25-21 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Trailing by four points with 11 seconds to play, the Patriots had already wasted their last timeout. Faced with a fourth down situation that would necessitate a gain of no less than nine yards, Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe passed the ball in desperation to wide receiver Shawn Jefferson. Jefferson, who was clearly out of bounds, caught the ball. Confused referees gathered at the 50 yard-line for an all-too-familiar conference and arbitrarily decided to give the Pats a first down. Never mind that one referee had signalled no catch; never mind that the Bills should have gained possession and won the game. The Patriots were handed an early Christmas present in the form of an unearned first down.

But wait-there is more. The very next play, with six seconds remaining on the clock, Bledsoe threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone - a desperation tactic employed by any losing team as the game winds to its conclusion. After much scrambling and maneuvering for position, wide receiver Terry Glenn managed to leap into the air, grab the pass, and drop it into a sea of ravenous defenders. Game over, right? Wrong. Once again, flags flew about the end zone, as referees penalized the Bills for pass interference. Thus, with the clock expired, the Patriots lined up along the one yard-line and hiked the ball to Bledsoe, who threw a perfect spiral into the corner of the end zone to tight end Ben Coates for the game-winning touchdown. Game over. The Patriots marched out of the stadium with a much-needed division victory, while their opponents were left to vent their frustration to the media. "We outplayed them," Bills coach Wade Phillips said. "We deserved to win." Bills general manager John Butler was less diplomatic. "This is an embarrassment to the league and football," he said. "Something like this is disgusting. [Officials] are ruining the game. The level of incompetence is getting worse each year."

Phillips was absolutely right. The Bills defeated their divisional foes on Sunday, even though the scoreboard registered a Patriots victory. For that matter, the Steelers should have gained possession - and the first opportunity to win their Thanksgiving Day game - in overtime against the Lions. Now, the question facing the NFL is obvious: do these isolated incidents suggest a trend of bad officiating that has turned the 1998 season into a farce? Or is the criticism levelled against the league by Butler and Bills owner Ralph Wilson merely an example of sour grapes?

Putting aside for one moment my undying allegiance to the Patriots, I must insist that poor officiating has been an integral part of professional football - or, more precisely, professional athletics - for a better part of the last century. Remember Jeffrey Maier, that little punk who turned Derek Jeter's fly ball into a home run during the pivotal first game of the 1996 American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles? Perhaps you will recall the 1986 World Cup, when Diego Maradona pushed team Argentina past England by punching the ball past the opposing keeper. (In a rare display of modesty, Maradona later admitted that the goal was scored by "the hand of God.") Even the New England Patriots-yes, the same Patriots who have been criticized in newspapers across the country for stealing a victory from Buffalo-were penalized six times for nearly 50 yards during the scoring drive that would put the Bills ahead 21-17. So much for a conspiracy theory.

Despite the whining of irrational fans, bitter players, and livid owners, poor officiating has contaminated every game in every league that has ever existed. Why? Because the referees and umpires are human beings, and human beings are fallible. In football, for instance, a handful of officials must perform the Herculean task of regulating the conduct of 22 oversized brutes during each chaotic down. In basketball, three referees must monitor the actions of 10 giants, all of whom are constantly fighting each other for possession of the ball. (Speaking of basketball, I defy any fan to provide documentation of one game in the formerly distinguished history of the NBA during which the refs have not turned a blind eye to the age-old practice of travelling.) You name the sport, and I guarantee you that it has been tainted in some way by human error, that unpredictable force that has so often dumbfounded athletes and chemistry majors.

Does this mean that professional sports leagues around the world should institute the practice of reviewing dubious calls via instant replay? Should referees and umpires be phased out of the game in this age of advanced technology by video cameras and computerized line judges? Perhaps. But consider this: the National Hockey League has failed to quell any of the controversy surrounding its crease rules, despite its use of instant replay to review questionable goals. Why? Because the video judges, like the referees on the ice, are-surprise, surprise!-human beings. They make subjective, hurried decisions and, every now and then, blow an important call. (See Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals, Game Four of the 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals) Meanwhile, their reliance upon video replays merely slows the pace of the game.

So the next time you find yourself sitting in front of the television, throwing empty beer cans at the screen, and screaming obscenities in the general direction of some bumbling referee, do me a favor. Imagine yourself surrounded by 50,000 screaming fans, a few frenzied coaches, and a mob of fervent players. They all want an immediate decision and begin to lobby for a favorable call. You experience a moment of uncertainty, followed by a moment of panic. At this point, you have two options: you can flee to the nearest airport and hop on a flight to Tahiti, or you can make a decision in good faith that will inevitably please some and enfuriate others. What would you do?