Which Refereeing Job is Toughest?

[Zanza]

Basketball and hockey look complicated mainly because of the speed they are played at. Football and baseball look easy. That's from the outside, no idea how hard it really is. Soccer has an offside rule that is rather complicated for the referee, but the rest is straightforward. However, as Mono said, a single mistake might make more of a difference than in say basketball or baseball. I guess it might be the most physically demanding though as the referee has to run something like 12-15 km within the 90 minutes. I'd say refereeing soccer is demanding, but not as demanding as hockey or basketball may be.

[Viking]

Offside rule is not Complicated.

However, rather than sports fans competing for the toughest refereeing job. I'd rather suggest that the toughest refereeing job is the game that leaves most to the referees hand, and consequently the game where there is most referee bribing compared to player bribing.

[FunkMonk]

Offside rule is not Complicated.

Correct, but for some people it is. Once some idiot called me offsides on my own side of the field when I was making a break for the other goal.

[The Larch]

Offside rule is not Complicated.

However, rather than sports fans competing for the toughest refereeing job. I'd rather suggest that the toughest refereeing job is the game that leaves most to the referees hand, and consequently the game where there is most referee bribing compared to player bribing.

It's not complicated in theory, but in practice it's often difficult to judge.

An important facet of football reffereeing are red cards. In footie a sent off player is not replaced by another one, thus rendering its team substantially weakened, so a capricious ref may very well cripple one of the teams if he's sloppy with his card handling.

[Admiral Yi]

Also nothing is more cooler in officiating than running up to a player and yanking out the red card right into his face for everyone to see.

Dork.

(More cooler?)

[grumbler]

No. We invented it so we can call it what we like. Stop calling a game where you hardly use your feet football, foo'.

Actually, you didn't.  Modern (US-style) football came out at about the sme time as (Euro-style)football, and both came from the antecedent of what is now called Rugby, but which used to just be "football" (which was to say, the game played by foorsoldiers as opposed to cavalry).

So, you appeal to antiqueness and originality fails.  Sorry. 

[FunkMonk]

Also nothing is more cooler in officiating than running up to a player and yanking out the red card right into his face for everyone to see.

Dork.

(More cooler?)

Got me 

[grumbler]

I said basketball because it is the sport I see most dominated, in terms of player decisions and coaching decisions, by how they think the refs are calling the game.  If they think the refs are calling a loose game, they push the envelope.

Hockey is something like that, but I don't know enough about the game to really tell.

[crazy canuck]

I said basketball because it is the sport I see most dominated, in terms of player decisions and coaching decisions, by how they think the refs are calling the game.  If they think the refs are calling a loose game, they push the envelope.

Hockey is something like that, but I don't know enough about the game to really tell.

Bang on.

Hockey players also play to where they think the refs threshold lies but in hockey that is more situation dependent then in basketball.  For example in the 3rd period or overtime of a hockey game the offense has to be really obvious for a penalty to be called. As a result the game becomes a lot more chippy and during those times as compared to the opening periods when penalties are more likely to be called.

In basketball refs are more likely to call the game consistently throughout.  The secret is determining what they will be calling and what they will let go.


Edit: in my experience the best refs always gave me a warning that they didnt like something I was doing (holding my harm on the back of the offensive player etc.) before they called the foul so that they clearly communicated their expectations before giving out fouls.

[PDH]

Refereeing the javelin.  Jeez, did you ever see the video of that guy getting hit?

[Warspite]

Offside rule is not Complicated.

However, rather than sports fans competing for the toughest refereeing job. I'd rather suggest that the toughest refereeing job is the game that leaves most to the referees hand, and consequently the game where there is most referee bribing compared to player bribing.

Hm, I'd say rugby is a game that can really turn on the referee's own application of the laws.

[crazy canuck]

Hm, I'd say rugby is a game that can really turn on the referee's own application of the laws.

I suppose calling a foul forcing a chance to kick for points but in the flow of the game the ref doesnt have that much influence does he?

[The Brain]

Baseball. Staying awake is practically impossible.

[Valmy]

Baseball. Staying awake is practically impossible.

Commie!

[Sheilbh]

Thank Hod the new board left justifies the poll results.

Follow up question: which refs are the coolest?