Read Bleacher Fan’s argument against organizations publicly acknowledging blown calls and Sports Geek’s argument in favor of publicly acknowledging blown calls.
After a one day break from discussing football, The Sports Debates is back to our comfort zone.
Have you ever been leaving a game and been extremely frustrated by a call from the officials that was or was not made? Perhaps you have watched your favorite team on television lose because of what you thought was an incorrect call by a member of the officiating crew? You may scream out loud, “We got hosed by the officials!!”
Yep, do not lie. You have been in that position before, and probably recently. All fans have found themselves in this situation.
Two weeks ago, the Georgia Bulldogs scored a touchdown with just over a minute to play, giving them a 13-12 lead over the LSU Tigers. After grabbing the go-ahead catch, Georgia receiver A.J. Green was flagged for excessive celebration, even though replays showed that the celebration was very “conservative” and that nothing unusual happened. The 15-yard penalty forced UGA to kick off from their own 15-yard line. LSU eventually scored and won the game. I live in the heart of Bulldog country. Here we are 10 days later, and folks are still talking about it. Folks are still outraged!
The Monday following the game, a referee supervisor with the Southeastern Conference stated that the penalty probably should NOT have been called. Do you think that made Bulldog fans feel any better? Not hardly!
That situation segues into today’s debate.
Should a collegiate governing conference or association, such as the SEC in this situation, publicly acknowledge a missed call that affected the outcome of the game?
Sports Geek will argue that such organizations should publicly acknowledge a blown call, while Bleacher Fan will argue that they should NOT publicly acknowledge a blown call.
I must warn the debaters, though. Whoever wins this debate… if you celebrate excessively… you will be held in contempt of this court and you will be punished at my discretion!
