In the realm of Refereeing

Ok, so this isn't exactly soccer refereeing but it is interesting no matter what sport you referee.  Here is the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5734373

I find it interesting that in a very popular sport in the US the art of reffing is so far behind the times.  I love pretty much all sports, basketball included.  When the Cavs had Lebron I was watching nearly every night they were on.  I still love my Cavs, but obviously they're not a contender this year.  Anyway, I would watch basketball but always it left me feeling that there was something corrupt about it.  Fouls were called so inconsistently that it was laughable.  And it's not just at the pro level.  In high school I can remember one referee who was always out there to get noticed.  If you weren't booing by the end of the game he hadn't done his job.  I would say that basketball refs are the worst of the big US sports (basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and hockey).  This article is basically saying that for decades the league has been reactive when it came to referee development.  Not only that but they have retained officials that are nearly dinosaurs. 

Soccer, a relatively un-popular sport, though growing all the time, has been very proactive in referee development.  Are there things which USSF can improve?  Probably.  Will everyone be happy?  When has everyone been happy?  But tools such as advice to referees, Week in Review, ODP camps, Academy games, and Regionals only help develop better, more consistent referees.  Will you still have Koman Coulibalys?  Of course, but given the international reach of the game it is pretty amazing that every weekend thousands of professional matches take place and generally every game is called the same way.

While at Regionals this year I was able to witness several different referees and their styles.  Some were better than others but by and large we all called the same kind of game.

Basketball is finally coming around, and you can see from the article that some aren't so happy about it.  I think in the next couple years, however, the fans will appreciate what the NBA is trying to do.  Basketball will get better because of this.

Where will soccer go next?  Technology?  We'll save that discussion for another day?