By now
everyone who follows football has heard about the terrible call that gave Seattle an undeserved
victory over Green Bay on Monday. Some are calling it the worst call ever,
which it wasn’t. But it was made by a
scab referee who is part of the army of scab referees that have been hired by
the NFL owners to ensure that the games go on in spite of the referees’ strike
and that they can continue to bring in billions of dollars in profits.
Yes, the
strike is terrible for the players, whose credibility, salability and post-season
bonuses depend on their won-lost record, which could be undermined by the
plethora of bad calls that have been made this season by the scab refs. Several
of them have been complaining publicly in interviews and tweets. Sure, it is
frustrating for fans, who depend on their team’s victories (or noble struggles
and defeats) to provide excitement and entertainment to their otherwise
stressed our lives. And it is expensive for the gamblers who are losing
millions because of the bad calls. (The Seattle-Green Bay call is said to have altered $150-$250 million in bets).
Yet the
players are union members. By continuing to play during a referees’ strike they
are crossing a theoretical picket line. If they don’t like the bad calls and
the amateurish refs, they can (and should) walk off and refuse to play. Without
the stars, there would be fewer viewers, thus weakening the owners’ bottom line
and their resolve to quash the referees’ strike.
If fans want
the strike to end they can refuse to watch the games and refuse to buy tickets.
Season ticket owners could demand a refund. This would also weaken the owners’
bottom line and willingness to ignore the referees’ demands.
As for the
gamblers, perhaps they should just put more money on the underdogs and pray for bad
calls in their favor.
