[BostonCard]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...-with-bias

The article talks about a study that purports to show that referees really are biased, though not in ways people think.

ACC and Big 12 refs tend to penalize home teams less during games between conference rivals. Favored Big Ten teams are penalized fewer yards when playing nonconference teams, the study says, while Big 12 officials appear to punish teams that play faster—a potential concern for the go-go Ducks on Monday night.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention the Pac-12, nor everyone's favorite target, Notre Dame.

BC

[BostonCard]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...-with-bias

The article talks about a study that purports to show that referees really are biased, though not in ways people think.

ACC and Big 12 refs tend to penalize home teams less during games between conference rivals. Favored Big Ten teams are penalized fewer yards when playing nonconference teams, the study says, while Big 12 officials appear to punish teams that play faster—a potential concern for the go-go Ducks on Monday night.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention the Pac-12, nor everyone's favorite target, Notre Dame.

BC

[Mick]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...-with-bias

The article talks about a study that purports to show that referees really are biased, though not in ways people think.

ACC and Big 12 refs tend to penalize home teams less during games between conference rivals. Favored Big Ten teams are penalized fewer yards when playing nonconference teams, the study says, while Big 12 officials appear to punish teams that play faster—a potential concern for the go-go Ducks on Monday night.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention the Pac-12, nor everyone's favorite target, the University of Dead Fake Girlfriends.

BC

How can you have an article on referee bias without the UDFG?  That's like a car without an engine.  Benny without the Jets. 

[Mick]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...-with-bias

The article talks about a study that purports to show that referees really are biased, though not in ways people think.

ACC and Big 12 refs tend to penalize home teams less during games between conference rivals. Favored Big Ten teams are penalized fewer yards when playing nonconference teams, the study says, while Big 12 officials appear to punish teams that play faster—a potential concern for the go-go Ducks on Monday night.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention the Pac-12, nor everyone's favorite target, the University of Dead Fake Girlfriends.

BC

How can you have an article on referee bias without the UDFG?  That's like a car without an engine.  Benny without the Jets. 

[StanFan88]

Pac-12 refs aren't good enough to be biased.  How can you know whether to call the foul when you don't know if it's a foul?

[StanFan88]

Pac-12 refs aren't good enough to be biased.  How can you know whether to call the foul when you don't know if it's a foul?

[burger]

I can't recall the name now (I read the review in the NY Times), but there was a book several years ago that used a lot of statistics to argue that the home field advantage in multiple sports was largely due to referees favoring home teams.  That seems plausible to me.

I look forward to the day that referees are replaced by computers.  Surely the technology to do this either already exists or will very soon.

[burger]

I can't recall the name now (I read the review in the NY Times), but there was a book several years ago that used a lot of statistics to argue that the home field advantage in multiple sports was largely due to referees favoring home teams.  That seems plausible to me.

I look forward to the day that referees are replaced by computers.  Surely the technology to do this either already exists or will very soon.

[CTcard]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...-with-bias

The article talks about a study that purports to show that referees really are biased, though not in ways people think.

My initial reaction is skepticism over the study.

But it's possible that the study itself is fine and the problems are more with the author of the article.

[CTcard]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...-with-bias

The article talks about a study that purports to show that referees really are biased, though not in ways people think.

My initial reaction is skepticism over the study.

But it's possible that the study itself is fine and the problems are more with the author of the article.

[Leftcoast]

At a previous (and purposefully unnamed) company we employed an NCAA ref who was in the Pac 10 pool of referees for women's basketball.  I saw him referee several Stanford home games and know he frequently traveled to away games up and down the Pacific coast.  He also occasionally refereed men's games for other leagues.  After working for us for several years he was found to have committed fraud by creating shell companies, issuing false POs and then using his own and stolen passwords to to receive deliveries and pay his own shell companies.  It was an intricate and long lasting scheme that embarrassingly took over a year to uncover. 

While this is evidence of a major ethical lapse there is no reason to believe it extended beyond our workplace.  However, whenever I hear people imply NCAA refs are a special breed above corruption I think of this man, his financial and ethical decisions ... and quietly have my doubts.

[Leftcoast]

At a previous (and purposefully unnamed) company we employed an NCAA ref who was in the Pac 10 pool of referees for women's basketball.  I saw him referee several Stanford home games and know he frequently traveled to away games up and down the Pacific coast.  He also occasionally refereed men's games for other leagues.  After working for us for several years he was found to have committed fraud by creating shell companies, issuing false POs and then using his own and stolen passwords to to receive deliveries and pay his own shell companies.  It was an intricate and long lasting scheme that embarrassingly took over a year to uncover. 

While this is evidence of a major ethical lapse there is no reason to believe it extended beyond our workplace.  However, whenever I hear people imply NCAA refs are a special breed above corruption I think of this man, his financial and ethical decisions ... and quietly have my doubts.