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by David P. Greisman - The NFL zebras protect Tom Brady. The NBA referees show favoritism toward star players. Major League Baseball umpires made several obvious mistakes during this year’s postseason. And NCAA football refs, particularly those working for the Southeastern Conference, seem to blow calls nearly as often as they blow their whistles.
When officials in the mainstream sports err in judgment, their decisions become fodder for discussions – their decisions are analyzed on television, print and Internet sports outlets, debated by bantering columnists, disparaged by rambling radio hosts, and damned by disappointed bar patrons.
The loss, though, is just that: a loss. Professional athletes are still guaranteed their multimillion-dollar salaries. Amateur players won’t be written off; draft scouts look more at individual performance than team success.
That’s not the case when it comes to the Sweet Science. Fighters’ paychecks can decrease in the wake of a defeat. A boxer will drop in the rankings and in public esteem. He is not always guaranteed another television date or another title shot.
Most of the debate about boxing officiating involves judges’ decisions. It is easier to argue scorecards and results. The scores are announced at the end of a fight. The results remain on a fighters’ record – there is no next season, no starting over.
Less discussed are the mistakes the third men in the ring make: the knockdowns not called, the bending and breaking of rules, and whether a fight was stopped too early.
Often forgotten, however, are the errors with consequences beyond the loss on the ledger, mistakes that put a boxer’s health in danger.
Two times in the past three weeks, a referee has allowed one fighter to get away with fouling his opponent. The first case, Al Seeger’s technical knockout loss to Victor Fonseca on Oct. 23, ended with Seeger hospitalized with bleeding on the brain. [details]
When officials in the mainstream sports err in judgment, their decisions become fodder for discussions – their decisions are analyzed on television, print and Internet sports outlets, debated by bantering columnists, disparaged by rambling radio hosts, and damned by disappointed bar patrons.
The loss, though, is just that: a loss. Professional athletes are still guaranteed their multimillion-dollar salaries. Amateur players won’t be written off; draft scouts look more at individual performance than team success.
That’s not the case when it comes to the Sweet Science. Fighters’ paychecks can decrease in the wake of a defeat. A boxer will drop in the rankings and in public esteem. He is not always guaranteed another television date or another title shot.
Most of the debate about boxing officiating involves judges’ decisions. It is easier to argue scorecards and results. The scores are announced at the end of a fight. The results remain on a fighters’ record – there is no next season, no starting over.
Less discussed are the mistakes the third men in the ring make: the knockdowns not called, the bending and breaking of rules, and whether a fight was stopped too early.
Often forgotten, however, are the errors with consequences beyond the loss on the ledger, mistakes that put a boxer’s health in danger.
Two times in the past three weeks, a referee has allowed one fighter to get away with fouling his opponent. The first case, Al Seeger’s technical knockout loss to Victor Fonseca on Oct. 23, ended with Seeger hospitalized with bleeding on the brain. [details]
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