How to fix officiating

[BigOrangeMojo]

The SEC is a billion dollar business with billion dollar revenue and billion dollar TV deals; however, the evaluation and assignment of officials is done without transparency and by individuals who have either real or perceived biases. The most important aspect of officiating is to have a game called fairly and without REAL or PERCEIVED biases. As evidenced by the Bama-UT game over the weekend, Bama Steve Shaw, and the Anthony Jordan UT-LSU fiasco last year, the SEC is failing to eliminate real or perceived biases. I posted this in another thread but I think this is the framework for how officiating should be in the 21st century. The BS PR statement released by Greg Sankey shows how much the SEC does not care in doing the job right in maintaining a level playing field.


Here is how to fix officiating (all sports/all leagues).

1. Have an unrelated third party company analyze and evaluate officials for all games. This party can have no SEC ties at all. All officials are graded and results are publicly known. This evaluation is no longer done by Bama Steve Shaw.

2. Based on results and grading by unrelated third parties, officials are assigned automatically (and not by Bama Steve Shaw). Officials that score the highest will get the CBS and primetime games. Those that score the lowest go to Starkville...

3. Change ref comp structure. If you get a primetime game, you get paid more than MSU vs NE LA. If you are evaluated high enough each week, you get a bonus. Bowl game assignments are based on evaulations. If a ref is really good, the compensation structure needs to be where he would have to take a pay cut to ref NFL games.

4. Relegate lowest ranked officials.


Thoughts, comments, and debate welcome....

 

[hog88]

Post grades, any disciplinary action and admit any mistakes made.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Post grades, any disciplinary action and admit any mistakes made.

I agree but you know who would give the grades for the Bama-UT game over the weekend...A Bama Grad (Steve Shaw).

You know who would have given the grades to Anthony Jordan last year after the UT-LSU game...A Baton Rouge native

My thought process would be to eliminate all the Bama grads from doing evaluations on who refs Bama games and assigning who officiates the next Bama game....

 

[hog88]

I agree but you know who would give the grades for the Bama-UT game over the weekend...A Bama Grad (Steve Shaw).

You know who would have given the grades to Anthony Jordan last year after the UT-LSU game...A Baton Rouge native

If it was public they wouldn't be able to get away with it.

 

[rjd970]

The SEC is a billion dollar business with billion dollar revenue and billion dollar TV deals; however, the evaluation and assignment of officials is done without transparency and by individuals who have either real or perceived biases. The most important aspect of officiating is to have a game called fairly and without REAL or PERCEIVED biases. As evidenced by the Bama-UT game over the weekend, Bama Steve Shaw, and the Anthony Jordan UT-LSU fiasco last year, the SEC is failing to eliminate real or perceived biases. I posted this in another thread but I think this is the framework for how officiating should be in the 21st century. The BS PR statement released by Greg Sankey shows how much the SEC does not care in doing the job right in maintaining a level playing field.


Here is how to fix officiating (all sports/all leagues).

1. Have an unrelated third party company analyze and evaluate officials for all games. This party can have no SEC ties at all. All officials are graded and results are publicly known. This evaluation is no longer done by Bama Steve Shaw.

2. Based on results and grading by unrelated third parties, officials are assigned automatically (and not by Bama Steve Shaw). Officials that score the highest will get the CBS and primetime games. Those that score the lowest go to Starkville...

3. Change ref comp structure. If you get a primetime game, you get paid more than MSU vs NE LA. If you are evaluated high enough each week, you get a bonus. Bowl game assignments are based on evaulations. If a ref is really good, the compensation structure needs to be where he would have to take a pay cut to ref NFL games.

4. Relegate lowest ranked officials.


Thoughts, comments, and debate welcome....

I'm all for it. And it SHOULD be simple to do. If there really is no bias and shenanigans going on, then there should be no reason not to do this and nothing to hide.

 

[rjd970]

If it was public they wouldn't be able to get away with it.

I truly believe this is why they don't. And no, tinfoil hats aren't necessary to come to this conclusion.

 

[sjt18]

Post grades, any disciplinary action and admit any mistakes made.

Yep. Sunlight is the best thing.


I don't like the incentives in the OP but maybe bonuses for good officiating and penalties for blown calls should be considered.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Yep. Sunlight is the best thing.


I don't like the incentives in the OP but maybe bonuses for good officiating and penalties for blown calls should be considered.

I agree that I am a bit uneasy about having different officials make different amount of money and maybe a bonus system for having a highly graded game is the way to go. I also think the bonus system should paid be on a crew by crew basis.

 

[cardvolfan]

Total transparency and complete accountability by the SEC is the right thing to do. But, this is the South, and breaking apart the "good ole boy" system is very tough to do, because SEC leaders apparently have their hands in the cookie jar. However, the system needs to change.

 

[joevol33]

Have the qb drill them in the nads when they make a bad call

 

[VolDaddy61]

I would hope that they would be graded out, and the worst would be let go. Do they not review the game as a coach would ?! To see if they where they can improve ?! And also, athletes seem to get bigger and faster every year, but the officials don't seem to be "keeping up". I believe that plays a part as well.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

If you are a graduate of an SEC school, you should be considered automatically ineligible to officiate in the SEC. At the very least, ineligible to officiate any of your alma mater's games.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Have the qb drill them in the nads when they make a bad call

Don't have JG do it, he'd either go rogue or miss the throw....

 

[Volgrad98]

Pay them more than the other team and/or threaten them with violence.

 

[Arclight]

Move SEC HQ from Alabama.

 

[Boca Vol]

Here's the issue with making the results public....the offending official would receive death threats, his employer harassed, and his family harassesd.

There are too many nut bags in today's world to do this, sadly. Hell, wasn't there some poor guy's life nearly ruined over a game he wasn't involved in?....but the Interwebs said it was him.

The problem with officiating is real, but making individual game grades made public is asking for trouble.

 

[DNBVOL]

They have it exactly how they want it. Nothing will change until it gets exposed nationally.

 

[Boca Vol]

If you are a graduate of an SEC school, you should be considered automatically ineligible to officiate in the SEC. At the very least, ineligible to officiate any of your alma mater's games.

That already exists....has for years. In fact, if you have any relationship to an SEC school (attended, coached, has a family member attend, etc) you can't work those games.

 

[GAVol]

Here's the issue with making the results public....the offending official would receive death threats, his employer harassed, and his family harassesd.

There are too many nut bags in today's world to do this, sadly. Hell, wasn't there some poor guy's life nearly ruined over a game he wasn't involved in?....but the Interwebs said it was him.

The problem with officiating is real, but making individual game grades made public is asking for trouble.

No doubt about it. I know two officials and I won't even hint at who they are on here for fear they'd get doxxed and harassed.

 

[vanillagorilla]

 

[Orange defense]

Move the Alabama football team to the Gonzaga northwestern conference...oh wait, never mind!

 

[82_VOL_83]

The SEC is a billion dollar business with billion dollar revenue and billion dollar TV deals; however, the evaluation and assignment of officials is done without transparency and by individuals who have either real or perceived biases. The most important aspect of officiating is to have a game called fairly and without REAL or PERCEIVED biases. As evidenced by the Bama-UT game over the weekend, Bama Steve Shaw, and the Anthony Jordan UT-LSU fiasco last year, the SEC is failing to eliminate real or perceived biases. I posted this in another thread but I think this is the framework for how officiating should be in the 21st century. The BS PR statement released by Greg Sankey shows how much the SEC does not care in doing the job right in maintaining a level playing field.


Here is how to fix officiating (all sports/all leagues).

1. Have an unrelated third party company analyze and evaluate officials for all games. This party can have no SEC ties at all. All officials are graded and results are publicly known. This evaluation is no longer done by Bama Steve Shaw.

2. Based on results and grading by unrelated third parties, officials are assigned automatically (and not by Bama Steve Shaw). Officials that score the highest will get the CBS and primetime games. Those that score the lowest go to Starkville...

3. Change ref comp structure. If you get a primetime game, you get paid more than MSU vs NE LA. If you are evaluated high enough each week, you get a bonus. Bowl game assignments are based on evaulations. If a ref is really good, the compensation structure needs to be where he would have to take a pay cut to ref NFL games.

4. Relegate lowest ranked officials.


Thoughts, comments, and debate welcome....

Should be compensated based on grading system, not what game you are calling.

 

[I Love Lamp]

I’ve always thought they should answer to the Media just like players and coaches do.

 

[OG.V83]

I dont like third parties... in anything ...but it makes sense here. Long as that 3rd party dont become it's own giant entity that breeds corruption

 

[Cartervol]

You have to get the Headquarters out of Bubba land if you want a level playing field. Otherwise the attractive matchups and the build up will happen. Not upsets along the way to disrupt that. Too much money to have one of these teams have a loss on their record. Keep a sharp eye on the LSU-Auburn game this weekend.