Getting the call right
Commercials the real reason for video replay
Alex Kubinski
Contributor
Photo from istockphoto.com
Tired of watching sofa commercials? More are on the way.
Starting next season all touchdowns and turnovers will be reviewed and conducted by the NFL officials. Although this may slow the pace of the game down, the integrity of the game is the paramount concern.
Those who have a problem with video replay slowing down the pace of a game should take note of the commercialization of sports before they begin arguing that maintaining the integrity of the game itself would slow the pace.
If the NFL is at the top of the class for making sure the right call is made, then major-league baseball is certainly flunking out. In an era where technology and cameras are so superior to anything we have seen before, it almost seems archaic that an umpire who stands behind a plate decides what a strike is.
Purists would say that is the way baseball has always been, and changing it would change the sport. But how would ensuring that a proper call was made change the sport, except for the better?
A recent example where replay could have changed MLB history was June 2, 2010. With one out away from a perfect game, pitcher Armando Galarraga went to first base to tag out the batter after hitting a ground ball. He made the catch before the batter made it to first. Game over. A perfect game for Galarraga.
Sadly, the only person not to see this chain of events was umpire Jim Joyce who ruled the runner safe. You can’t blame Joyce for being human, but you can blame MLB for allowing human error to decide crucial events that can change not only the outcome a game, but sports history.
Perhaps the game most notorious for delays is college basketball, but those delays are not even related to replay. The last couple of minutes of an NCAA basketball game always seem to drag on because of the timeouts and the commercials that immediately follow them.
By the sheer nature of the relationship between professional sports and advertising, the games will always be slower. More commercials mean more money, something no league wants to leave on the table.
We have already gotten used to TV timeouts and commercial breaks, and I can live with the aggravation of a long game over the aggravation of a missed call.
