Photo by morgan

The discovery that Tim Donaghy illegally bet on NBA games he refereed has been a sort of ‘coming out party’ for discouraged fans across the sporting world. While Donaghy awaits sentencing for his actions, there have been a number of recent events exposing a fatal flaw in officiating professional sports.

Earlier this week, in a New York Mets/New York Yankees game, Carlos Delgado hit a ball deep to left field. The hit was ruled a foul ball by the head umpire Bob Davidson and play resumed, ultimately with the Mets winning 11-2. However, replays showed that the ball hit the ‘foul pole’ and thusly should have been ruled a regulation home run. Davidson recently apologized for his gaffe, and in this case the ends can justify the means, but his incorrect call has been added to a long list of officiating nightmares.

It is high time that officiating in all professional sports is held accountable to its duty: fairness.

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