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The National Football League (NFL) must overhaul its inconsistent, poorly-performing, horse-and-buggy refereeing system.
The quality of the NFL’s officiating has become one of the sport’s most persistent controversies, with fans, players and coaches regularly questioning calls that can determine the outcome of games. In fact, it’s a scandal. For example, highly questionable calls in the recent playoff game between Buffalo and Denver that unfairly deprived the Bills of victory and thereby a shot at going to the Super Bowl, underscores the crisis in quality. Unlike officials in other major professional sports leagues, many NFL referees work part-time, maintaining separate careers outside of football. This fundamental issue, combined with inadequate training periods and lack of performance accountability, has created an officiating system that struggles to meet the demands of a multibillion-dollar league. The substandard refereeing is a disgrace for the number one professional sport in America.
The part-time nature of NFL referees is perhaps the most glaring problem. While the league has gradually moved toward employing more full-time officials, it appears too many still treat refereeing as a secondary occupation. This means officials spend limited time studying rule changes, reviewing game film or participating in training exercises during the off-season. The current collective bargaining agreement includes a “dead period” from the Super Bowl through mid-May when the league cannot even communicate with officials about rules or mechanics. For a game as complex and fast-paced as professional football, this lack of year-round preparation is unacceptable.
Inconsistency in penalty enforcement represents another critical failure. What constitutes pass interference or unnecessary roughness can vary dramatically from one crew to another, and even from quarter to quarter within the same game. This inconsistency stems partly from inadequate training but also from a system that doesn’t effectively reward excellence or address poor performance. Currently, seniority plays a significant role in postseason assignments, meaning officials aren’t always selected based on their performance during the regular season.
The NFL’s proposed reforms directly address these shortcomings. Performance-based compensation would create financial incentives for officials to improve their craft and maintain high standards throughout the season. Extended probationary periods and greater flexibility to remove underperforming officials would ensure that only the most qualified individuals remain in the system. Shortening the dead period would allow for continuous training, rules education and film review—exactly what’s needed to maintain consistency.
Perhaps most importantly, basing postseason assignments solely on performance rather than seniority would guarantee that the league’s biggest games are officiated by its best referees. In a sport where a single controversial call in a playoff game can overshadow an entire season, having top-performing officials on the field isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
The NFL generates billion of dollars in revenue annually, yet its officiating operates like a weekend recreation league in many respects. These proposed changes won’t eliminate all controversial calls, but they represent essential steps toward professionalizing a system that has lagged behind the sport’s growth and importance. Fans deserve better and so do the players whose careers can be impacted by inconsistent officiating.
Years ago, Major League Baseball had a crisis in which umpires notoriously had their own versions of the strike zone for batters. The problem was confronted and badly needed consistency was largely achieved.
Football refereeing must come into the modern age.