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What the NFL could learn from the NBA
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Yesterday, ESPN.com’s Henry Abbott attended a seminar hosted by the NBA in which the basketball media received a tutorial on NBA referees and the job they do. Abbott, as he usually does with his TrueHoop entries, wrote a slam dunk account about the day’s events (pun poorly intended).
While the NFL has never been one to be known for its open lines of communication with fans and the media, hosting such an event for the football media seems like a no-brainer.
In light of the recent controversial events that took place in the Week 2 meeting between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers, in addition to any other call which you may disagree with when watching your favorite team play, now would be as good of a time as ever for fans and the media alike to have a better understanding of the rules.
Anyone who has ever watched a game – from their couch, from the stands, or from the press box – has questioned or disagreed with a call made by an official at one point or another. While referees do make mistakes, we are led to believe that we are right each and every time because the best understanding of the rules is not readily available to us. Sure, we can pick up a rulebook and gain a better understanding of what the interpretation of each rule is but who has time for that?
The NFL, aside from releasing the occasional press release to put out fan and media-inspired fires, needs to do a better job of communicating the rules with those who follow the sport either recreationally or to earn a living.
Although we often forget, referees are human and if people had a better understanding of what they did, then maybe people wouldn’t be so quick to criticize the job that they do.
Maybe…
