Disclaimer: I was an amateur sports official for four decades, so, yes, I might be a bit biased in regard to AI officiating.
“Dump the bums!” “Refs suck!” “We don’t need ‘em! ”
The same sentiments have probably been flying around since people first gathered to pit themselves against one another on the field of play. And, yet, if sports fans have their way and human officials are replaced by machines, it might be a case of be careful what you wish for. I’ll get to that in a moment.
Like many jobs in this evolving world of AI, sports officiating is on the road to automation. Analysts predict that by 2050 AI will be responsible for 90% of officiating tasks. The changeover is happening now with the Automated Ball-Strike System in Major League Baseball, Semi-Automated Offside Technology in Major League Soccer, electronic line calling which has replaced human judges in professional tennis, and AI use in both the NFL and NBA.
It’s important to note that AI “officials” are not infallible. Sometimes there are technical glitches that require humans to override the system. And our robot friends struggle to interpret subjective calls involving player intent. Was the hit the natural result of a legal play or a flagrant foul? Did the pitcher clock the batter on purpose or did the batter make no attempt to avoid the pitch?
Then there are the rules as opposed to the “spirit and intent” of the rules, a differentiation that is one of the first things young officials learn. The best example is holding in football. Most football fans can scream, “That’s holding!” on just about any play, despite the number of beers they’ve downed. And they’re probably right. However, is said holding a penalty? Not always. Officials must ask themselves if the holding occured at the point of attack, if anyone gained an advantage, if the defender did not attempt to break away, if the contact was brief? Only after such considerations can the yellow flag fly. So far, AI has trouble with these subtle distinctions.
Machines are also not adept at handling the human element of the games. Today, officials are needed to control game management. They communicate with coaches and players, break up fights, and manage the flow of the game. However, it’s certainly feasible that robo refs might eventually take over these tasks, so even though sports leagues claim they are not trying to replace officials completely, that seems to be the road we’re on.
But here’s the funny thing. A recent survey showed that almost 76% of Premier League soccer fans want to do away with Video Assistant Referees, known as VAR. And it has nothing to do with whether the call on the field was right or wrong. Roughly 92% of those fans said the automated officiating system takes too long to call the play and that they are being deprived of the thrill of spontaneous goal celebrations, making the game less enjoyable.
Imagine that.
And then there’s water-cooler syndrome. Might we lose something valuable when the last human official leaves the field, because without the men and women calling the plays, rabid fans would be relegated to blaming their beloved team for failing to win.
Not much fun in that, is there?
THE CASTLE
ANNE MONTGOMERY
Suspense/Thriller
Ancient ruins. Haunted memories. A ruthless predator. Can Maggie survive the ghosts of her past – and the monster hiding in plain sight?
When she returns to her job as a National Park Ranger at “The Castle”—a Native American pueblo carved into an Arizona cliff—Maggie hopes the comfort of familiar ground will help her heal. Battling trauma and the grief of unimaginable loss, Maggie’s days are carefully measured, her life held together by the thinnest of threads.
But strange things are happening at the park. A mysterious child appears and vanishes without a trace. And a predator watches her every move, planning his attack.
With the help of friends, fellow survivors, and the land itself, Maggie begins to reclaim her strength. But the danger is closer than she knows, and soon Maggie will have to face a deadly threat… and her deepest fears.
Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.
Praise for The Castle
“A deftly written and riveting read from cover to cover, “The Castle” effectively showcases author Anne Montgomery’s genuine mastery of the Romantic Suspense genre.” – Midwest Book Review
“A slow burn thriller, mixed in with a touch of mystical realism…A true five-star experience!” – Sara Steven Chick Lit Central
“A beautifully considered, sumptuous novel from a skilled storyteller.” – SaraRose Auburn Writing & Reviews
“This is a novel about good rage, about channeling the injustices of the world around us and fighting to do some good with both words and deeds. Lucky for readers, it was penned by a maestra like Anne Montgomery, so that we got a tense, powerful novel in the bargain too.” – Jennifer deBie-Rosie Amber Book Reviews
“Ms. Montgomery manipulates uncomfortable subjects and dark suspense into a gripping tale with hints of romance and humor carefully guiding readers on an informative journey of survival and self-discovery.“ Tonya Mathenia InD’tale Magazine
“Soul-stirring. A brilliant book…Truly a masterpiece.” – Anu Menon Thought is Free Book Blog
“I was gripped from start to end.” – Katherine Hayward Pérez Just Katherine Blog
“Ms. Montgomery has an almost magical talent to draw the reader into the worlds she creates through her words. Her characters are interesting, vulnerable and strong. While describing the locations in which her books are set, she weaves history with vivid images, immersing the reader in a hard-to-put-down story full of history, beauty and mystery.” – Margaret Millmore Author
Author Anne Montgomery 
Oh, Anne. You’re so naive. You actually think:
Outside the officiating community, no one realizes that the refs job is to keep players safe and give each team an equal opportunity to win the game.
We’ve seen the result of the roboref already. As I remember, a baseball manager was tossed recently for arguing the result of a machine strike appeal call.
Get rid of them all. Let the machines call the game. An Arlington, Virginia men’s basketball league decided to have the players call their own fouls. You can imagine how that went.
Replay evaluation does take too long. As a ref, if I have to use it, I’ll do the best job I can with it. I haven’t heard anyone ask the question, has replay made the game better? I think they are afraid of the answer.
I’m an engineer, but I really wonder, ” Just because we can, should we?”
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I have a feeling much of this is about gambling, Jeff. With people betting on every pitch, how many yards someone runs in a game, how many field goals the kicker makes, and endless other possibilities, those placing bets want no human error. That said, of course I don’t believe players, fans, and coaches understand the rules. Geez! And players callig their own foulds? You’ve got to be kidding. Bet that was mayhem. I do believe once officials are gone and there’s no more obvious punching bag, fans will feel a sense of loss.
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Ahh, the idealism of youth. Officials as punching bags was around long before the upswing of betting. I am definitely more synical than you. I believe that people need to belong to an entity they perceive to be bigger than themselves. Through history, it’s always been “we’re the good guys, they are bad..” Buckeyes, Gators, Republicans, Democrats, there’s no difference. Also, there is a segment of two or three sigmas of the bell curve of sports fans that need someone to yell at to reduce their frustration over their inadequacies. I hope they find that outlet. Otherwise, we might be reading about more people going postal at work. I know, synical.
Yes, that no-ref league was a disaster. It never happened again.
Oh, you avoided the question of Replay. Does it make the game better? Does the time taken to look at those 5 calls in a game make the game better? Like all the other mistakes we make earlier in the game, which most players, coaches, fans and announcers don’t know enough to know we made don’t make any difference? The numbers on the NFL officiating page tell a lot.
Just because we can, should we?
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Actually, Jeff, I don’t mind limited reviews. Each coach gets two a game. They can use them on any call/no call. That’s it. Nothing else is reviewed. So, they should be used judiciously like managing timeouts. I don’t like reviews from the booth. I don’t like reviewing every scoring play. The games are way too long and reviews are adding too much time to the games.
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