As a guy who’s followed the NFL from a young age, I just can’t believe the unbelievable officiating going on. The bad calls, the constant replay reviews, the complete lack of control over a game. It’s unacceptable. From the botched games to the continued inconsistency from week to week, it’s hard to root for any team knowing the calls can be so outrageous and completely ruin a game.
I remember a few years back when my team was locked in a tight game with a division rival. Score was even late in the game, and everyone was on edge. Then suddenly in the middle of a play, the refs called a penalty that completely changed the course of the game. It cost my team yards, and put them in a fourth-down situation. Needless to say, my team lost and I was livid with the refs for not understanding the play and making the right call.
That’s just one example of the terrible officiating going on in the NFL. What’s unfathomable is that these bad calls are being made by seasoned veterans in the game. You would think they know what they’re doing. The league has tried to combat the problem by hiring more officials and changing the rules to make the game more fair. But despite their best efforts, the calls still aren’t getting better and the game remains unfair.
It’s so frustrating to see these terrible calls being made. There have been a few instances where players have made miraculous plays, only to have it nullified because of an incorrect penalty call. Those situations can ruin a team’s season, and it’s infuriating. Fans often times never find out the truth about why their favorite team lost, because the referees never own up to their mistake or have the courage to fix it.
Just recently I watched a game where a wide receiver caught a pass in the end zone, but was called for “unsportsmanlike conduct” on the play. What?! The replay replay showed that he hadn’t done anything wrong, yet the call was upheld. It was beyond ridiculous, and it just goes to show how far officiating in the NFL still has to go.
The incompetence of some referees has had a direct impact on some of the biggest games this season. In week four, the Buffalo Bills faced the New England Patriots for the battle of first-place in the AFC East. The game was highly anticipated, and the officiating seemed solid until an unbelievable call happened in the final minutes. The refs called a penalty on the Patriots’ running back for an illegal forward pass, which cost them the game. Talk about a kick in the teeth!
These kind of mistakes are happening much too often, and it’s hurting the integrity of the NFL. If the league continues to ignore the problem, it could be disastrous for the future of the sport. The fans deserve better. They deserve a game that is fair and honest, and not marred by horrible referee calls. Hopefully the NFL will act soon to fix this issue.