What team sport has the worst refs

[HVC]

Brought on by the discussion of bringing in the blue card for soccer. i voted soccer, but that might be that most of the games I watch are ones I care about so I am more invested in bad calls.

[Valmy]

I don't know if it has the worst refs but I think Basketball is the most annoying sport as far as the refs. There are so many calls they are supposed to make and so many are judgement calls and arbitrary and it all happens so fast. It just drives me nuts how ref centric that sport is.

[Barrister]

This might be heresy for any sport fan to say - but I think the refs in my favourite sport hockey don't do a bad job of it.  Yes of course you can argue some calls, but it's a fast sport so sometimes things can get missed.

I tend to get more upset at the Department of Player Safety (aka the guys who hand out punishments after the game) - but they aren't refs.

I'm torn between basketball and soccer - but only because in both sports have refs been found to have been "on the take".

[Josquius]

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

[HVC]

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

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

[celedhring]

Well, obviously every sport played by the teams I follow.   

[Savonarola]

Other: Professional Wrestling

[crazy canuck]

If we are talking about professional sports, then I think it is basketball by a long margin.  They are there to make sure the game flows and the fans get entertained.  It's a bit odd to see them enforcing the rules of the game, on the rare occasions that actually happens.

But college refs are generally very good.  So it is not the sport itself that creates the problem.

[Sheilbh]

Well, obviously every sport played by the teams I follow.   

Yes. The answer is clearly "Everton".

[FunkMonk]

I used to watch NBA a lot when I was a kid and I watch basically only soccer now and the incompetence and outright buffoonery of the officials in both sports is mad.

I'd have to say soccer tho because it feels like the refs sometimes try to make the game about themselves more than the actual match being played.

[Grey Fox]

The NBA has the worse referees.

[Grey Fox]

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

Like Rugby?

[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.

[Syt]

Always the refs in the sport where my team is losing.

[crazy canuck]

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.