Ask the CEO

July 30, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release


Question from Manny B, NYC: "Do you think the referee scandal will have an impact on referees and other officials in sports?"

Answer: Manny. Thanks for the question. Obviously, it is going to have an impact. And I am sure that officials of all sports will be under very close scrutiny on and off the court or field. But, as I said before, right now, this is an abberation, an isolated incident. And those people who choose officiating as a vocation, an avocation or just a hobby, are very good, decent, quality people who do the best they can to officiate honestly and fairly. They take as much pride in their performance as the players take in their performance. They want to get every call right, they want to keep the game going smoothly and incident free and they want the best team to win based on its performance. They are very good at what they do at all levels.

Keep in mind that the players that they are officiating are not perfect on the court or field. They make less than half their shots, they make outs more than 70% of the time, they make errors on the field, they miss blocks, and yes, when they let their guards down, they get knocked out in the ring. Why should officials be 100% right every time with every call? They can make mistakes just as the players can make mistakes.

In fact, I really don't like instant replay and challenges to their calls - in any sport. Some umps call strikes when the pitches are off the plate, some refs miss a push away from the ball, some officials miss a holding call. It happens. If they miss too much, then the leagues will do something about it - just as when a player misses his shots too often, misses his tackles, makes outs or errors or gets knocked out - they're gone. And if you make too many mistakes on your job, you're gone.

I don't think you're going to see anything different this year than in past years. Officials will continue to do the best they can do because that's the kind of people they are - just as 99% of the athletes will do. The NBA has the money to have the best refs in basketball - and they do. Hope this answers your question. If you have a question, email conniejoenewman@aol.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.



American Basketball Association Stories from July 30, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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