What team sport has the worst refs

[Grey Fox]

American football has more stoppage than play. So...

Like Rugby?

Football is a few seconds of play followed by a stoppage of a much longer duration.

In Rugby the stoppages are less frequent and much shorter relative to flow of play.

And both are part of the fabric of the game and not a result of poor referring.

[Barrister]

American football has more stoppage than play. So...

Like Rugby?

Football is a few seconds of play followed by a stoppage of a much longer duration.

In Rugby the stoppages are less frequent and much shorter relative to flow of play.

And both are part of the fabric of the game and not a result of poor referring.

For (North American) football - the constant stoppages of play are either part of the charm, or the reason to hate the game.  But it's baked into the game.

Football isn't constant non-stop action.  It's 10-15 seconds of action, with plays dictated out to military precision - then a solid 45-60 seconds of analyzing what just happened.  You either like it or you don't.

Same goes for the referees - because of the constant stoppages of action, there are lots of opportunities to go to video review.  WHich can get analyzed down to an almost ridiculous degree - but again that's either part of the charm, or a reason to hate the game.

[Gups]

American football has more stoppage than play. So...

That's a fundamental misunderstanding of both the game and the refs role

Jos not understanding basic shit? Say it ain't so Joe.

[Gups]

American football has more stoppage than play. So...

Like Rugby?

Much worse.
Union can have a fair bit of stoppage for scrums, which is why it's the inferior version of rugby, but its usually sorted pretty quick.
In league it's just not an issue.

Which is why league is so wildly popular. It's a trivial sport, draughts to unions's chess.

[The Brain]

I don't know if it's the rules or the refs, but soccer effectively allowing diving and faking injury makes the sport a lot less attractive to watch I think.

[Barrister]

I don't know if it's the rules or the refs, but soccer effectively allowing diving and faking injury makes the sport a lot less attractive to watch I think.

That is supposedly what the blue card is supposed to address.

[Josquius]

American football has more stoppage than play. So...

Like Rugby?

Much worse.
Union can have a fair bit of stoppage for scrums, which is why it's the inferior version of rugby, but its usually sorted pretty quick.
In league it's just not an issue.

Which is why league is so wildly popular. It's a trivial sport, draughts to unions's chess.

I would say that's nothing to do with the quality of the sport and more just that leagues heartlands happen to overlap far more heavily with those of football, which has really risen to mega dominance over the past few decades.

Union meanwhile within its safe public school walls, Welsh valleys, etc... was allowed to persist unharassed.

Then there's quality of the decision making of the money men behind the sports too.... league has not had great luck there.

The non commonwealth international spread of the sports is curious though. Weird league never really carved out random territories as union did.

[Gups]

No, it's simply because League is one dimensional and dull. It has running, passing and tackling, with kicking only at sixth down. Union has that plus tactical kicking, scrums, line outs, mauls, rucking and counter-rucking. It's  just much more interesting.

[viper37]

NHL has good refs during the regular season.
But then, there are the playoffs...

[Josquius]

No, it's simply because League is one dimensional and dull. It has running, passing and tackling, with kicking only at sixth down. Union has that plus tactical kicking, scrums, line outs, mauls, rucking and counter-rucking. It's  just much more interesting.

Football is by far the most popular sport in the world and it is incredibly simple.
I do think for most people Unions complexity is a negative, not a selling point.

Much more likely any of the 3 had some capacity to be big but it was various business decisions and completely non sport related events that gave us the situation we have.

Though I must say it strikes me union would have big grassroots problems. Not exactly easy at a jumpers for goalposts level to play properly- touch rugby is more like league.

[Iormlund]

Refereeing played a big part in my disenchantment with soccer.

Not so much the amount of bad calls as the fact that they usually favored Madrid and Barsa.