Instant Replay Needs Review

November 20th, 2005

By Justin Waganer
Senior Sports Writer

For those of you struggling to accept Oklahoma’s last second loss to Texas Tech on Saturday it is time for you to know something, the system is decidedly imperfect. Officiating itself has its flaws, but this joke of a replay system needs a serious overhaul. There is a general idea that some replay is better than none, another flawed thought. As a fan your only hope is that the same people that tweak the BCS every year can take a look at the comedy of errors that has accompanied this horrid system this off season and rethink the way it is utilized.

Many will say that this reaction is sour grapes and they would be right if Oklahoma hadn’t experienced this before. Look back to Rufus Alexander’s interception at the goal line in Kansas City, an obviously controversial play that took OU taking a timeout for the booth to review. Don’t feed me the line that all plays are reviewed, if that’s the case then communication is poor between the field and the booth. If you think that was just a one-time mistake, think back to Malcolm Kelly’s tight wire act late in the Baylor game.

Next problem with the system? How about the idea that there must be “irrefutable evidence” to overturn an official’s decision? You are telling me that the called touchdown in the corner of the end zone where the player never had control of the ball must have some ridiculous amount of evidence to be overturned? What if Fox Sports Net had as bad a camera angle on that play as they did on the last one then that play wouldn’t have been overturned? Everybody assumes replay is to make sure one team doesn’t get screwed, but its purpose is to correct officials who get caught up in a play and don’t get a good look.

The reason this is a problem is because of a play like the last one of the game where an official runs from the corner of the goal line all the way to the player before signaling touchdown. Now the replay must show evidence of it NOT being a touchdown, because of this official’s mental coin flip to signal TD. This leads to the next problem with the system, CAMERA ANGLES!! I understand that all networks don’t have the same standards on the number of cameras, but it makes sense to me that a game that isn’t televised would even have cameras on both sides of the goal line. Again, this isn’t the first time this has happened this season. Think back to the Baylor two point conversion in Norman a few weeks back.

My final problem with the replay system wasn’t in the final minutes, but I’m on a roll and need to rip this too. Why are some plays not able to be reviewed? These so-called, “judgment calls” are as big a joke as you can possibly have in organized sports. Saying something can be reviewed because it is a “judgment call” is just a notch above your Mom telling you that you can’t go to your friend’s house because “she said so.” Was it not the official’s “judgment” that the receiver who didn’t come close to a catch in the end zone caught the ball? EVERY PLAY SHOULD BE REVIEWABLE! Including penalties, why only use a system to correct some of the plays?

This is not an indictment of Texas Tech or someone saying that Oklahoma got hosed out of a victory because, as always, you don’t lose a game because of one play. If Darrien Williams knocks the ball down or Garrett Hartley doesn’t kick the ball out of bounds Oklahoma could have won, too. The Sooners losing was not because of the refs taking it away. However, the Big 12 does need to review its officials and most importantly, its use of replay. This system simply doesn’t work.

“The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don’t have it.”
- George Bernard Shaw

Entry Filed under: Oklahoma Sports