"Instant" Replay: When are sports going to move into the 21st century?

[Auggie]

Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle / 4-2-15

Use the technology, for crying out loud. Enough with the idiot challenges. Forget the coaches, umpires and referees. None of them should move an inch. All right, so they have their pride; they want to be involved. Too bad. That was yesterday.

Ideally, every sport should have three-man crews onsite to make instant rulings in or around the press area. That’s a tough one, because all three sports have built elaborate replay centers at considerable cost. But there should be no problem having replays instigated and quickly ruled upon from these places.

Rod Thorn, the NBA’s Vice President of Operations was interviewed by USA Today on the replay process. “We don’t want to take it away from the referees (on court) right now,” he said. “Two years from now, that may be. Down the road, yes.”

That’s the replay quote of the decade. Everyone knows how this process should work. It should reflect the times. But no, let’s wait a while. Let’s stick with something more primitive than Pac-Man.

Jenkins overlooks that lengthy replays, especially in the NFL, allow TV to squeeze in several more commercials per game. I agree with the author -- replays are too long -- but broadcasters may be totally happy with that arrangement.

Link (subscription only): http://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/jenkins/article/Get-the-instant-into-replay-reviews-6176062.php

[JayhawkSD]

1. They are doing that in NASCAR right now.

Officials have been removed from the pits, and all violations are called based on computers and cameras overlooking the area where race cars come in to refuel and have tires changed. The race car's speed entering and leaving the pit area is monitored entirely by computer, as is movement by crew members servicing the cars. There are also officials monitoring action by camera. If a violation is detected it is reviewed by an official in the scoring booth and then called down to the offending crew.

There have been more penalties in the first six races for "tire not under control" than were issued in all 36 races last year. Speeding penalties, however, have not increased nearly as much.