The Refs Are Cheating! (But Not Much)
November 24th, 2009 ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
A study by two college professors has found that college basketball officials favor the home team and try to keep foul counts close.
The professors found that referees have “a terrific knack” for keeping the foul count even, regardless of which team was more aggressive.
The study of 365 college games during the 2004-2005 season revealed that the visiting team is 7% more likely to be whistled for a foul than the home team.
So that’s it? That’s the “home cooking” we all talk about? Seven measly percent?
The professors also found that in games when the home team had five or more fouls than the visiting team, there was a 69% chance the visitors would be called for the next foul.
Let me get this straight. With all the fans breathing down their necks and coaches right in their faces, officials basically are “cheating” to keep from cheating. They try to call games evenly. And they lean toward the home team just 7% more often than the road team.
I don’t have much of a problem with that at all. Sure you’d like for games to be called straight up, but road teams — according to this survey at least — get a lot more calls than I would have guessed.
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