Largely agree that there are number of factors that dictate the number of calls per game. The subject is deserving of a thorough analysis, imo.
As you alluded to, I have a problem laying much of it at the players’ collective feet as they’re just doing what they’re told/coached to do (my personal suggestion is to avoid saying ‘thugball’ though – even though a ‘thug’ can be any race, unfortunately the PC crowd has made it so that the term is connotative of a certain race – sorry for the tangent). It’s also definitely not all on the refs – they have to make the calls that are in front of them. That said, in a one-off entity (a single contest) the refs can indeed ‘go sideways’ (so to speak) and cause a game to become a either a ‘whistle-fest’ or a ‘whistle-less’ trainwreck.
Speaking strictly from a fan perspective, I think a large issue (again, for fans) is the apparent subjectivity that games are called with – the overall seeming inconsistency from game-to-game or even call-to-call. Regardless of what various conference ‘heads of officiating’ suggest, there is plenty of video evidence out there suggesting that ref crews even within the same game are calling different interpretations of the rules (see the 2012 N.C. State vs. The Cheats ACC Tournament semi-final for a prime example – an abomination to even national college basketball commentators).
I believe +/- 98% of refs try their damnedest to call a fair game every time out with clear objectivity (I won’t go higher than 98% b/c I’m an N.C. State fan and my red-colored glasses suggest that human bias plays a larger part than it should at times for certain refs). Here is a major part of the problem the way I see it:
There is no organizational structure for college basketball refs.
– College basketball refs are independent and can contract out to work any game in any league on any night. Ok, fine – it should be called the same everywhere, correct? Yes. Part of the problem with this though is that refs can work any consecutive number of nights that they so choose – with unlimited travel time. I don’t care who you are, if you’re traveling every single day and working every single night then there is a high degree of probability that you’re not always going to be your sharpest.
– Another issue with this is that you are working with different crews every time out. Well, that should be ok because the rules are the same for everyone, everywhere – correct? Theoretically. The problem lies in consistency – or a lack thereof. Refs have a ‘gameplan’ just like players and coaches do. When you’re working with different crews every night out you ‘gameplan’ on who’s covering what and who will be where. But it also leads to shortcuts. When you work so many different contests across so many different leagues with so many different crews – that’s when ‘books’ and ‘tendencies’ come into play. “Hey, watch for this player doing this. Watch for this coach saying this.” You can’t possibly be everywhere on the floor at once, correct? Well, you ‘know’ that x player likes to hook his opponent to clear space in the post. You ‘know’ that x coach will do or say ‘this’ during the course of a game. You also ‘know’ that certain teams have the tendency to not commit any fouls (heh).
Sound like I’m full of sh*t? Well, ask Sean Miller about being singled-out and individually targeted for technical fouls in Pac-12 games. BeeJay Anya commits two fouls within the first three minutes of each of the last five contests – he’s really that stupid, foul-prone, and un-coached? Honestly? Ask the ACC head of officiating why The Cheats never commit team fouls.
– Regardless of pre-season meetings and get-togethers emphasizing ‘charge calls’ or ‘illegal screens’, independent refs are still human, and will still eventually revert back to their personal interpretations of the rules and how games should flow. If each individual ref has even the slightest different interpretation to that of another crew member, well you can see how that could be confusing at best for an impartial observer, and indeed infuriating for a team fan. This is why there needs to be an organizational top-down approach. One set of guidelines for the whole that hold sway for each league. One person or group at the top who govern the leagues below them (and no, individual league ‘heads of officiating’ do not fit this bill; the refs are still independent).
Do you see anywhere near the same amount of fan angst in football – college or pro? “Well that’s silly! There’s only one contest per week so it’s not apples-to-apples!” True, it’s a lot easier for an individual to prep for one event per week as opposed to multiple events over multiple nights at different venues. What’s different – at least for college – is that the crews are consistent from week to week, and there’s also a much more structural approach for college football.
Consider our own fanbase as an example. There’s a sentiment at-large (deservedly so, imo) that our collective fanbase is full of whiny ref-blamers. But does that sentiment hold true for both basketball and football? In my opinion, it does not. With respect to football, rarely is the case that I see fans blaming calls throughout a game as changing the tenor of the game or even changing the outcome. All of ‘angst’ seems to be focused on coaching decisions and the level of play on the field. In basketball, however, calls can and do have a tremendous impact on the game. It’s the nature of the beast. If there’s not a clear way in which games are going to be called from one game to the next – much less, one call to the next – then I’m hard pressed to blame fans in general for their furor.
Now consider the NFL. The refs in the NFL are organized, unionized, and held to one league standard. There is no fan uproar each and every week over a litany of inconsistent or unfair calls (pass interference, maybe, but typically you know that crews are going to err one way or the other – tight or loose). Fans know – and importantly – believe they are going to get a consistent and fair approach every time out. Fans get to rightly hone in on what really matters – their team’s performance. They don’t have to worry about some deluded half-wit who believes ‘he’ is the star of the show making incongruous calls or throwing fans out of the stadium on a personal whim. If a ref does do that, he’ll be out of a contract as opposed to just not being allowed to ref that team’s games again.
– Lastly, I get the idea that the NCAA wants it to be fair across every league and it should be called the same way regardless – and that’s why refs do work different leagues. I don’t think this is feasible anymore, however. There are too many teams, and there is too much travel – and there is way too much inconsistency. If you’re worried about compartmentalization and the Big East allowing physical play while the ACC emphasizes finesse then that’s all the more reason to have top-down organization. A head-person or group at the top who govern the individual leagues below them. Consistency amongst crews should be mandated; travel time and limits should be adhered too; minimum numbers of ‘off days’ should be standardized. In short, this needs to be cleaned up and organized in a major way.
Giving full autonomy to a loose collective of individuals and ‘suggesting’ guidelines for them has led us to this point. It doesn’t work, and it’s not going to start working. Say what you want about the level of play, the ability of players, and the styles of different coaches – but if there’s not one code to adhere by then you get the product that is served up today. K gets to work the refs and get BS flops called as charges. The Cheats never commit fouls. It’s all a load of rubbish. Hold everyone to the same standards – that includes refs.
It’s my opinion that organized structure from the NCAA down to each conference with clear guidelines and consistency among crews and travel times would alleviate some (a lot) of the ‘subjective’ look that games are seemingly called with.
