Referees play a massive role in every football game. Through the first month of the NFL season, their calls – or lack thereof – have decided winners and losers in multiple capacities. Whether it’s on the field or in the betting world, every flag has an impact.
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Most fans recognize the difficulty of being a referee, and all the flack that comes with the position. At the same time, they’re tired of obvious penalties seemingly being ignored when teams like the Kansas City Chiefs are involved.
To make matters worse, referees who fail to make the correct call often don’t have to answer for them Officials are not subject to a postgame media scrum like players and coaches.
Unless the NFL actually steps in to punish them – a rare occurrence – they suffer no repercussions when they perform poorly. But why exactly is there a lack of accountability for officials?
Why do referees face less scrutiny than players and coaches?
Part of the reason referees receive more leeway than players and coaches is their status as part-time employees. If the NFL stepped up and made them full-time positions, it would be able to institute fines and other disciplinary measures. With that, though, would come a pay increase from the $205,000-$250,000 average salary they currently hold.
Many of the sport’s supporters believe the quality of officiating would drastically improve if the league took those steps. That includes former punter and present ESPN show host Pat McAfee, who spoke his mind on the topic during the 2023 season:
“We think the NFL needs to pay these refs more, We think we need to make them full-time jobs… I think that is an easily done thing, if the NFL wanted to, with the NFL refs association.”
“There’s so many questionable calls, people are losing a lot of money… every time [referees make] a bad call, it’s not only affecting the game, players, coaches and fans… [calls of the league being scripted are] only gonna get louder if these mistakes continue to happen.”
There haven’t been any truly head-scratching miscues so far in 2024, but fans don’t have to dig very deep into the past to find possible championship-altering gaffes.
Missed calls have cost teams Championships
Over the NFL’s long history, many franchises have fallen victim to errant officiating decisions. While referees will never be perfect, these particulars stand out.
When the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans faced off in the 2000 Wild Card round, Tennessee emerged victorious after an illegal forward pass went uncalled on Kevin Dyson’s game-winning 75-yard kickoff return touchdown. The Titans advanced all the way to Super Bowl XXXIV after escaping with the win.
If the proper call had been made, the Bills may have appeared in the league’s title game.
In the 2018 NFC Championship game, the New Orleans Saints were driving for a potential game-winning touchdown when the Los Angeles Rams committed a clear pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-7.
The missed violation forced the Saints to kick a field goal, which the Rams eventually matched before winning in overtime.
It remains to be seen if a call of similar heft will cost a franchise an opportunity to win a Super Bowl in 2024. If the NFL cared about how its most hardcore fans perceived its product, they’d fix this glaring issue sooner rather than later.
But until the misses get even more egregious, the status quo will likely remain in place.
