NBA referees union calls for the elimination of Last Two Minute Reports
The NBRA at least wants the L2M process to be reformed
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1 min read
Four weeks ago, the National Basketball Referees Association raised eyebrows when it tweeted a poll with a statement: "NBA basketball has suffered from too much reliance on reviews and second guessing calls." The subtext was that referees are not happy with the league's procedures when it comes to reviewing plays during and after games.
On Tuesday, the NBRA issued a much stronger statement, calling for the league to end -- or at least a reform -- the Last Two Minute reports that it publishes for every game. From their press release:
The NBRA believes the league's actions to promote so-called transparency will cause more harm than good for the officials and the game. We call for an end to L2M reporting and other transparency measures and a return to private, league-managed evaluations, reviews, education, training, and discipline for NBA officials.
Should the NBA reject the NBRA's call and press forward with L2M reporting, it is critical that the current process be reformed to improve its accuracy and minimize the damage and divisiveness it is causing.
The union claims that there is no evidence that the NBA's shift toward transparency has given referees more credibility among fans, stating instead that it has created a more hostile environment for officials. It also implies that the people reviewing the games for the L2M reports are not qualified to do so, and it claims that it's "not uncommon to see L2M review comments contradict directions/guidelines given to the game officials."
The NBRA also points out that "transparency does nothing to change the outcome of the game," a common complaint from players and coaches. The question, then, is whether transparency is inherently a good thing or not. Does it matter that referees are held accountable in a public way? What is more important, their reputation or the accuracy of their calls?
It is easy to see the union's point, especially after all of the outrage in the second-round series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Perhaps the league does need to tweak its process when it comes to the L2M reports. I would argue, though, that eliminating them would be a step in the wrong direction. The NBA should be focused on doing whatever it can to limit incorrect calls, and that means more transparency, not less.
