The speed that sports take place at has increased dramatically over the past few years. Athletes have gotten bigger, stronger and faster too. As a result, referees and umpires have a tougher task in calling games fairly. It is time for every major sports league to follow in the foot steps of the NHL. The leagues should utilize the technology available and bring back instant replay.
The need for instant replay has been made especially evident in the NFL. This season referees have made so many bad calls. And as a result, the wrong team often loses. Some good examples of this are calling a coin toss incorrectly, wrong pass interference calls (some have nullified TDs), inconsistency, and even handing the ball to the wrong team after a fumble. These poor calls need to be corrected soon, or we may see the wrong team in the playoffs, or the Super Bowl.
Replay is needed in baseball too. It is all to common to see an umpire call a pitch a strike even with the ball a foot out of the strike zone. Granted not every pitch can be reviewed, but a team should be allowed to challenge a certain amount of calls.
The most common argument against instant replay is that it slows down the game. However it quite evident that this argument holds no merit. With today’s technological advancements slowing of the game doesn’t occur. Every television network that broadcasts sports events, manages to replay key plays and questionable ones. Therefore we know it wont slow down the game. Bringing replay into the sports world would not only make the fans and teams happy, but it would reduce human error too. The time is now for instant replay, save what’s left of the sports seasons.
***************Note, the NFL will be re-voting on replay and if it passes, it will be used in the playoffs.