Sports video reviews have become as controversial as the calls they are meant to settle. That said, consider (as I do here) egregious errors that would have been corrected had video reviews been available.
First introduced in the NFL in 1986, it became universal in college football in 2004. While the system, now used in most major professional sports, has undoubtedly overturned wrong calls by officials, it has also slowed down the game and taken away the joy of many fans.
Bob Ford, writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer: The problem with replay came when it went from being a part of the telecasts to being a part of the games. Using replays to review decisions made by umpires, referees, and officials is understandable on one level — let’s have a fair outcome by getting the calls right — but it also removes the human element of those outcomes and introduces a tyranny of technology.
Trevor Denton, writing in the Daily Trojan: Instant replay can be good. It can help clear up controversial scoring plays and ensure teams don’t get away with egregious fouls or penalties. But video replays make games choppy when overused and often add new layers of dispute — precisely what they should prevent.
In any case, this technology is here to stay and will probably expand. Major League Baseball may take it one step further and introduce robot umpires. Let’s look at some infamous blown calls that almost certainly would have been overturned by video review had it existed then.
Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God”: In the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal between England and Argentina, the late legendary Maradona initiated an attack that ended when England defender Steve Hodge sliced at the ball, causing it to fly into the air. Maradona, who had continued his run into the box, leaped into the air to contest the ball with England keeper Peter Shilton. Maradona reached the ball first and appeared to head it into the net. Replays show that he punched the ball into the goal with his left hand, a move which he labeled the “Hand of God.” Maradona struck again three minutes later, leading Argentina to a 2-1 victory. Argentina later captured its second World Cup. Video technology would have caught the violation, and Maradona may have been given a red card.
Don Denkinger’s blown call in the 1985 World Series: The St. Louis Cardinals were up 1-0 in Game 6, three outs away from a title. Kansas City’s Jorge Orta led off the ninth with a slow roller that Jack Clark fielded and tossed to pitcher Todd Worrell, who stepped on first base a clear half-step ahead of Orta. Denkinger called Orta safe. The Royals rallied for two runs and won the game 2-1. They took Game 7 the next night with Denkinger working behind the plate. He received a slew of hate mail, including some death threats, which eventually got the FBI involved.
Briana Scurry stops China’s penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup: Neither team could score a goal after 120 minutes, which meant penalties decided the match at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. After each team made its first two penalty shots in the shootout, Scurry stopped China’s Liu Ying. The U.S. responded to Scurry’s save with three more successful penalty shots, including Brandi Chastain’s clincher to give the team its second World Cup title. The U.S. might not have won if Scurry hadn’t charged a few feet off the line before the ball was kicked. Goalkeepers should keep at least one foot on the goal line while a penalty kick is taken until the ball is struck. Scurry later admitted she broke the rule. “Everybody does it,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s only cheating if you get caught.”
Missed pass interference: Saints vs. Rams, January. 20, 2019: In the NFC championship, the Saints had the ball on the Rams’ 13-yard line with 1:48 to play and the score tied 20-20. Drew Brees dropped back and threw a pass to Tommylee Lewis, who Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman met. Robey-Coleman made contact long before Lewis had an opportunity to catch the ball. The pass fell incomplete. None of the refs threw a penalty flag, and the Saints had to settle for a field goal. The Rams then tied the game before winning in overtime. A pass interference call would have given the Saints a first-and-goal and allowed them to run the clock down before a potential game-winning touchdown or field goal. This play led to a rule change that made offensive and defensive pass interference calls and non-calls reviewable.
The Perfect Game that Wasn’t: In June 2010, in a game between the Tigers and Indians, veteran umpire Jim Joyce was assigned to first base. Detroit’s Armando Galarraga was one out away from pitching a perfect game when Cleveland’s Jason Donald hit a routine ground ball to the first baseman, and Galarraga covered first base. He clearly received the ball before Donald’s foot hit the bag. But Joyce called Donald safe. After the game, when Joyce saw the replay, he broke down in tears and admitted to reporters that he had cost Galarraga a perfect game. Last year, Joyce and Galarraga told The Athletic that they would like Major League Baseball to overturn the call. Of course, if MLB decided to do that, it would open Pandora’s Box to everyone who ever had a call go against them.
Although the above examples can be used as a strong case for replay review, perhaps, as Ford concludes, we have created a monster.
Bob Ford: Humans should officiate sports played by humans. It’s that simple. If we can live with a fielder dropping an occasional fly ball, we should be able to live with a bang-bang missed call at first base. Trying to achieve perfection in an imperfect world never works, and centuries of history can be replayed and reviewed to prove that.
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This column first appeared in The Vacaville Reporter on January 6, 2021.
