Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

In the past 2 months, there has been a lot of moaning about bad calls (i.e. every white sox game in october), and there is a long NBA season ahead?

Which referee has the more difficult job though, the umpire behind the plate of a baseball game, or a referee of a basketball game?

Discuss, and I will post my thoughts tomorrow.

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
In the past 2 months, there has been a lot of moaning about bad calls (i.e. every white sox game in october), and there is a long NBA season ahead?

Which referee has the more difficult job though, the umpire behind the plate of a baseball game, or a referee of a basketball game?

Discuss, and I will post my thoughts tomorrow.

[/ QUOTE ]

I say baseball because the ump behind the plate is all by himself. There's no one to discuss things with. His call is his call and it's pretty much final (granted other umps can discuss with the home plate ump but this is RARELY done since it's seen as showing up the ump).

In basketball, you can have a conference on any call and on any decision. Hell, they can even go to the replay to make the correct call.

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

The subjectivity of balls and strikes in the MLB and fouls in the NBA is the crux of it -- kinda depends on how you look at it. I'll go with baseball for the time being.

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

Im gonna have to go NBA, just because there are about 5,000 more things to look for... generally speaking, everyone is usually watching the same thing in baseball.

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

Basketball by a lot

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

Although calling the strike zone is much harder than any individual call an NBA ref has to make, it has to be much harder to ref an entire basketball game.

In baseball, there is one pitch at a time and nothing else going on really. You might have an obstruction here or there, but you pretty much just have to watch the ball.

In the NBA you have freaks of nature running and jumping around at full speed. You have to watch the ball to make sure the guy doesn't double dribble, travel or carry the ball. You have to watch the guy defending him to make sure he doesn't hand check. Gotta make sure the posts aren't in the lane for more than 3 seconds. Have to be aware of the players off the ball trying to get position. Need to make sure the defense isn't in the key for 3 seconds without being an arm's length away from an offensive player . . . All that while running up and down the court yourself trying not to get in the way. There are just so many things to be aware of even though there are three refs to a game.

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

Baseball is much easier, because it's very linear. Pitcher pitches, batter makes contact, ball is fielded, next play. In basketball, a PG drives, the C may come over to challenge, the PFs are battling for position under the basket, the SF attacks the rim looking for the pass - all these things happen simultaneously.

In addition, in basketball most of the calls involved are judgement calls: did he actually get hit on the arm? did he push with his arm, or just use it to hold his position? did he come over the back? who initiated the contact? In baseball most of the calls are black and white - strike or ball? safe or out?

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

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You have to watch the ball to make sure the guy doesn't double dribble, travel or carry the ball.

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I laughed.

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

I've officiated both, although my experience with baseball was only at Little League level with basketball all the way up to the college level. But it's not close imo. Basketball is much tougher to officiate.

Re: Basketball or Baseball? Which refs/umps have the harder job?
 

The answer to your question is basketball, by a huge margin. Basketball players work the angles like crazy because they understand the subjectiveness of any given call. Making the charge/block decision by itself is more work then having to decide whether a ball entered an area over a plate or whether a player caught a ball before another player tagged the plate.

The hardest thing in the world to officiate is junior high girl's basketball. So many violations.

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