Do you play sports or watch sports? Have you ever seen a referee or umpire make a really bad call? Have you seen those bad calls and wish a computer instead of a human would make the call? Have you ever felt like you should have done it?
If so, your wish may not be far away. In the latest issue of The Morning’s newsletter, The Future of Robotics in Professional Sports, Ken Belson examines the impending changes in sports officiating:
For most of the history of sports, there was no remedy when a referee made a wrong call. Fans may boo and players may complain, but the game continues. Instant replay changed that decades ago, allowing coaches to contest calls and ask referees for review. This made the game fairer, but it also slowed down the game.
Many professional sports are currently on the brink of new technological advancements. The automatic referee system makes the correct decision every time and significantly reduces delays due to review.
The league insists the system, which it is testing in the minor leagues and preseason games, is not meant to eliminate officials. Umpires and umpires are still needed to make delicate decisions, such as swing checks in baseball, charges in basketball, and pass interference in soccer. But the league believes automated systems could make games fairer and faster.
Belson continues:
The major American professional sports leagues have not yet moved to automatic officiating, but most are testing their own systems.
The baseball world appears to be on the verge of major change. The company has introduced a system that automatically determines whether pitches are balls or strikes in more than 8,000 minor league games. The system could be tested next year by the league during spring training, making it possible for it to be implemented for the first time in the majors.
The NFL also uses computers to test referees. This preseason, the league introduced cameras to help spot balls after plays. This technology could mean the end of chain gangs, where players run onto the field with two poles connected by a 10-yard chain to measure first downs.
And the NBA is testing technology that automatically detects goaltending calls. This includes determining whether the ball was moving upwards or downwards when it was blocked.
However, many in the sports world are concerned about this move toward greater automation.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Initially, I thought everyone wholeheartedly supported” fully automatic decision-making. However, “players feel that serious use could have a negative impact on the game,” he said.
Atlanta Falcons CEO Rich McKay, who heads the NFL’s Game Rules Committee, had similar sentiments about the possibility of automatic calls in football. “When you try to take the referee out of the game and put him somewhere else, it just makes you nervous about what that’s going to do,” he said. “All the rules would have to be rewritten.”
Students, please read the entire article and then tell me the following:
Should human sports referees be replaced with electronic referees if technically possible? Or should the human element remain?
Overall, do you think referees and umpires do a good job in the sports you play or watch, or do you think poor quality of refereeing is a big problem? Referees that stand out to you in particular Have you ever had a bad judgment from?
What do you think about this move towards automated officiating systems by professional sports leagues? What do you think are the benefits and possible drawbacks of these technological changes?
Have you ever wanted to referee a sport? If so, which one and why? If not, why not?
Do you think we will ever completely replace referees, or will there always be a human role in sports refereeing?
We invite comments from students aged 13 and older in the US and UK, and aged 16 and older elsewhere. All comments are moderated by Learning Network staff, but please note that if your comment is approved, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Click here for more questions about student opinion. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how to incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
