Recently on Worcester News Tonight, Victor Matheson, associate professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross, discussed the current National Football League referee contract dispute, and the potential negative effects of the lockout.
Matheson contends that if games continue to appear poorly officiated due to a lack of qualified referees, then fans might start to turn away, which would negatively impact the NFL’s bottom line. “People really aren’t excited about having games overturned because of referee decisions,” said Matheson, reflecting on the controversy surrounding the replacement officials.
Matheson acknowledged that officiating is a challenging task, and that reliable officials are necessary to the sport. “We’ve seen more and more that referee decisions are an important part of the game.”
Also in the segment, Holy Cross women’s swimming and diving coach Barry Parenteau speaks to his experience as a high school football official. Commenting on the quick pace of NFL games, he explained that referees must “make some quick decisions [that] could come back to haunt [them.]”
“I think that they have to settle this for the integrity of the game,” he continued.
This “Holy Cross in the News” item by David Cotrone ’13.