Expecting Perfection: The Life of an NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL Sports Official

Our society has become dependant upon being perfect.

Every little detail has to be without flaw, undamaged, and absolute or else it immediately becomes useless, and the decision is assumed throughout society that the source of the imperfection must be done away with.

It's in every facet of life.

Unless you raise your kids "perfectly" they'll turn out to be raving, maniacal hoodlums. If you don't do your job impeccably down to the last detail, the assumption (and worry) is there that you'll be fired. If you don't pull off a "perfect" dinner at your new girlfriend's house, then you better believe that her father won't ever let you near her again.

But then we get to sports, where all of these imperfections, all of these mistakes, and every move period is magnified so much more.

In the past week alone, there have been two errors in judgement in NHL officials that led to goals: One in a game featuring the San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings in which a puck bounced off the bottom of the end-netting back into play, leading to the go-ahead goal by the San Jose Sharks Devin Setoguchi.

Then on Tuesday night, it happened again as Derek Roy slipped in-behind everyone during 4-on-4 play to score a beautiful breakaway goal. The only problem? Roy was the fifth Buffalo Sabre on the ice, meaning their should have been a penalty called.

Granted, the refs should have seen this, as they led to two very important, game-changing plays.

But they didn't—and because the game-by-game illusion of a referee's perfection was shattered, they received a lot of heat, as they should.

But now, people are talking about expanding the facets to ask for a review in the NHL, or even suggesting that (such as the NFL) the NHL adopts "challenges".

We've already instituted the whole "referee announces the penalty to the crowd" thing. Can't we just give up trying to turn it into football on ice? (Unless Gary Bettman really wants more head injuries. Which if that's the case, what's stopping him?)

It's not the first time human error has ever occurred in sports either. Remember the 1999 Stanley Cup final? I still think Brett Hull's foot was in the crease. So in my opinion, what happens if the refs had gotten it right?

Well let's assume that Buffalo won the Cup shall we?

1) Dominick Hasek never goes to Detroit to win the Stanley Cup because he won his with Buffalo.

2) Brett Hull still goes to Detroit, however the storyline is now "Hull going for long awaited Cup" after just missing out on one with Dallas.

3) The rule about the foot being in the crease? That could very well have never been overruled if that goal was overturned. 

4) Buffalo never suffers through the bankruptcy and "selling the team" sagas, as they become the hottest team in the NHL years before their post-lockout dominance. 

5) While we're altering history here, let's just say that the lockout COULD have been avoided. It probably couldn't have, but I'd like to imagine that if Buffalo won the cup that year the world would have been a lot happier! 

What if the Buffalo Sabres winning the Stanley Cup means that George Bush isn't President? What if there's no war in Iraq? What if the Stanley Cup drought in Toronto ends because Buffalo wins the Stanley Cup? I guess we'll never know.

While we're playing the "human error that can change the way history looks" card, what about that missed holding call in the playoff game between Jacksonville and Pittsburgh this past season?

If David Garrard's run is called back because of holding, then does Jacksonville win that game?

Does Tom Brady have the same insane completion percentage he did against the Jaguars? Do the Patriots even make it past Pittsburgh?

Yes, the referees, umpires, officials, judges—whatever you want to call them—are paid to be perfect because (as the deciding force in the game) it's expected of them.  But mistakes do happen. We as fans may not like it, but mistakes do happen, and perfection isn't always realistic.

When was the last time an NFL Quarterback went 27/27 in passing attempts?

When was the last time your favorite NHL player scored a goal every single game of the season?

How many guys have gone through an MLB season without going 2/2 or 4/4 or batting 1.000 at least one game in the season?

If you wanted perfection, then not only would you have to replace the officials with robots that could get every call right, but you'd have to replace the players with the same robots, as they apparently aren't performing "perfectly" either.

But, if you'd really like to take the human aspect out of sports...be my guest. 

I'd like to ask a question though: How many of you go into your jobs every day, and get yelled at when you do something correctly?

Something by the book, that in no way was wrong, but exactly what should be done, and got yelled at anyways?

Exactly. Now ask me how many coaches have yelled at me for calling a guy safe when he beat the ball by at least two steps to the bag.

Sure, controversy is part of the game—and referees understand that they'll be under constant scrutiny—but they already take enough heat when they're right to garner a reaction such as "off with their heads" when they're wrong.

It becomes especially difficult when this circus hits the media.

The refs are the only people out there who don't get "breaks" or "line changes".

Unless you're injured (and I could tell you a story about umpiring with food poisoning if you wish, so not even injury is always valid), you're out there the entire game.

No breaks, no big team surrounding you, just you and your calls.

You try telling me that players are under more pressure than referees.  

So sports fans, the next time you think about berating your local referee, remeber that he's only doing his job to support his family and at least when you shoot looks at the leggy intern across the office you don't have 20,000 people jeering you.