Sports are emotive and often incredibly unpredictable moments etched in the memory forever. While most of these are created through some dizzying feats of brilliance or some or the other controversial finishes, many just stay in the mind for reasons most considered trivial: contentious decisions from referees or umpires changing the course of a game. These are decisions that have formed debates time and again in history, changed the rules, and brought in not just analytics but technologies like video replays that ensure this is a fair thing.
We’re going to revisit some of the most heinous calls in sports, understand why they were so contentious, and how they’ve made the games we love what they are today.
Table of Contents
1972 Olympic Basketball Final: USA vs. USSR
One of the most debated finishes in basketball history is the 1972 Munich Olympic. Until that night, Team USA had never lost a game in Olympic basketball. With only seconds remaining, the U.S. was leading 50-49. Which immediately followed by a totally incomprehensible series of calls by referees. For some reason, the final three seconds were replayed several times after the Soviet team failed to score. Finally, on their third try, they completed their basket and thus gave the USSR the 51-50 win. In protest, Team USA refused the silver medals, and to this day, those medals remain unclaimed.
2002 NBA Western Conference Finals: Lakers vs. Kings
It is in Game 6 of that series-the one which the Lakers won-a disproportionate number of fouls called against the Kings in the fourth quarter are normally cited. The Lakers shot an incredible 27 free throws in that quarter alone, compared to just 9 for the Kings. That was the game that allowed the Lakers to force a Game 7, which they won on their way to the third consecutive championship. The link shows the data from the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals: Lakers vs. Kings competition.
To date, many claim that officiating in many sports often succumbs to pressure or other external influences, even with new technologies for transparency. Online platforms like BCgame allow viewers to bet or predict in real time, so it is even more necessary that there should be consistency not just on the officiating but also on the expected results from the viewership.
Cricket’s “Run Out” in the 2019 World Cup Final
This is how all the cricket lovers are going to remember the finale of the 2019 ICC World Cup between England and New Zealand: a truly pulsating finish with some controversy. In the last over of the match, six runs were given to England instead of five-as there was an overthrow by a New Zealand fielder, accidentally the ball had deflected with his bat to the boundary while Ben Stokes was running between the wickets. Most of them felt that according to the rules, one run less was to be awarded to England, and that might have turned the match around.
Expanding Technology’s Role in Sports
Sports refereeing will never be devoid of human touch, yet today’s controversies have set a milestone of dependence on technology to support a decision in cases of dispute. Wearable technology, instant replays, goal-line tech, and video-assisted referees (VAR) are just a few examples of how innovation is revolutionizing the way games are officiated..
Techno-handicaps like Hawk-Eye and UltraEdge have given the umpires equipment that reduces the chances of error to nil. VAR has come into soccer to minimize human error in crucial decisions. Even field hockey-the other national sport of India and all its various leagues-has moved in to adopt such tools for assisting the umpires.
Some key modern sports technologies include :
- VAR-Video Assistant Referee in football
- Hawk-Eye in tennis and cricket
- Goal-line technology in soccer
- Instant replays in the NFL and NBA
These all help to minimize some of the controversies surrounding decisions, but no doubt something will come up which gets the debating going. For as long as sports remain so emotive and unpredictable, then every fan is hoping their sport club comes out on the right side of history.
Conclusion
Controversial calls have always and will continue to comprise the sports landscape, sometimes through human errors, misinterpretation of the rules, or through something amazing actually happening hand in hand with the questionable decisions. As a matter of fact, those constitute the moments that build legacies. Much as technology can reduce disputes, raw emotions make those moments unforgettable.
This would mean that from analytics right to video technology, each has been developing a role to play in sports leagues in a bid to achieve fairness and total transparency. Yet at the same time, each innovation has managed to keep recreating these debates on controversial calls that, no matter what, will just never die when there is a fanbase to keep them alive.
