I write about basketball. When I attend a game at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., I usually share the press box with Larry Sheppard, who was the NCAA’s official of the year in 1994. He works as an observer of the officials, taking notes and reporting to the league’s supervisor of officials, so that perhaps the referees will do a better job in the future.
Larry makes a notation about every call the referees make during the game, and comments occasionally about their position on the floor, how they handle the coaches, and so on. I pepper him with questions.
A few times per game and per official, there will be a questionable call, and Larry can only say “He must’ve seen something I didn’t”, and he might make a note to discuss that call with the official postgame. The most logical thing that stupid fans in the stands and at home overlook is that the officials are closer to the play, and have a different view of the play — on every call. Their proximity to the play gives them a closer look, while their having a different view gives them information that most fans aren’t aware of.
I estimate that once every two games, an official will make such a bad call that Larry and I and everyone in the stands (if the call went against the home team) agree that the official blew it. Once every other game, I reckon, far fewer than the average nitwit thinks.
At the NBA level, the number of bad calls ought to be fewer. Officials work their way up from small college games to big college games to the professional ranks — but they only earn those promotions if officials observers like Larry give them good grades.
I imagine BoBo quoted 90 percent because it’s a good, round number, and isn’t far from the truth. I think referees are better than 90 percent, however.
