Televised Instant Replay

Controversial calls have been around every sport, just about every week you can tune into Sportscenter and get the latest controversy. Our technology has made instant replay possible and it is gradually getting better. Pro sports are very big in our lives and each games outcome decides the fate of each team. While it can and probably will slow down a game, the players play the game to win and sometimes officiating can mess with said outcome. Referees are human and are very capable of making mistakes or even favoring one team over another. Critics have called for the abolishment of instant replay, mainly because they had a few calls not go their way, and while it's understandable to be upset, the system is right much more than it is wrong. People are prone to mistakes and when put into a position of power like referees are, they have too much ability to change a game, instant replay will evolve with the game and hopefully promote fairness between two teams.

For the millions of dollars and hours of television watching that goes into sports, we should be able to get the calls right. The thought of getting rid of instant replay in the NFL is almost the thinking of a madman. I hate to harp on referees, but they are human too and in the split second they have to make a call, can easily mess up. Look at the recent Patriots vs. Ravens game on Monday night. On 4th and 1, the Ravens stopped Tom Brady on a quarterback sneak, however the down was replayed because the Baltimore defensive coordinator called a timeout just as they snapped the ball. The problem is that only the head coach can call a timeout from the sideline and the ref did not notice, and what should have been a Patriots turnover, kept the drive alive and led to a Pats victory. I'm sure this made some gamblers hearts beat faster.