It finally happened.
After weeks of inconsistent and head-scratching decisions the NFL’s replacement officials directly impacted the final result of a game. The events that transpired in the closing minutes of Monday night’s Packers vs. Seahawks game were a disgrace to the quality of a league that is revered as the pinnacle of professional sports in America.
The caveat must be made that the decreased quality of games throughout the NFL through the first three weeks of the regular season is not completely the fault of the replacement referees. The league and commissioner Roger Goodell have set up these under qualified officials to fail.
And fail they did.
Both the NFL and the NFLRA are at fault for trying to win a public relations battle rather than negotiating in good faith leading up to the lockout of officials. Additionally the league clearly looks at the officials as a replaceable commodity. The players, coaches, and the public can complain as much as they want about the replacement referees but as long as no one is changing the channel, or deciding to no longer purchase the NFL’s product in protest, the league has had no true incentive to negotiate.
The bottom line has been the bottom line.
Until now.
This situation has reached the point where the cost of doing business is no longer the primary issue for the NFL. The quality of the league’s product has not only suffered, but its integrity has seriously been brought into question.
Following the Seahawks Hail Mary win on Monday night the NFL released a statement on Tuesday stating, “The NFL officiating department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling.”
The league is not only damaging the quality of its product by continuing to employ under qualified officials; it is insulting the intelligence of the people that support it and fund its operation.
Our society follows sports not just because of its competitive nature, but because it brings communities together to support a common goal. It gives people the opportunity to truly believe in something.
How can a person continue to believe if they don’t trust the NFL’s very existence? We can continue to argue about Andy Reid’s play calling or Michael Vick’s high-turnover rate. But at the end of the day if we no longer believe the game is pure, what’s the point?
It’s well past time for this sham to end. The NFL is has spent decades developing the highest quality professional sports product in America. It is destroying it a matter of months over a miniscule percentage of its value.
The bottom line is no longer the bottom line. The game itself has been compromised. The league needs to settle with the officials and end this lockout.
Before it’s too late.
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