As a University of Illinois alumna, I can say from experience that no fan base is as paranoid about the officials as Illini fans are.
The one exception being, oh, every other zealous sports fan base on the planet. Remember “fan” is short for “fanatic,” and one thing that every member of all zealous fan bases has in common is a serious belief that the refs are all out to get their team. Which makes RefRatings, a new app that just launched in 2019 and is available for free in the App Store, timeless.
In addition to being timeless, it’s also very timely as it comes along right after what was arguably the most egregiously blown call of all time. You already know what I’m talking about- the New Orleans Saints getting jobbed out of an appearance in this year’s Super Bowl.
The Times-Picayune -the Saints’ hometown paper, said it best with this headline:
“REFFING UNBELIEVABLE: Blown no-call robs New Orleans of NFC Championship, sets up tainted Super Bowl LIII between Rams and Patriots.”
Fans have so many problems with officials these days that NFL on FOX “Insider” (whatever that means) Jay Glazer put forth an insane idea that NFL officials should be replaced by military special-ops (Navy Seals, Marine Recon, Delta Force etc.), and he was serious too!
For a more pragmatist approach to addressing the issue of official outrage, or zebra backlash, check out RefRatings, which gives aggrieved fans a conduit to making their feeling known on controversial calls. The app allows fans an opportunity to debate and view statistically valid voting data on controversial calls in real time during games.
It was created by a brother and sister team of Los Angeles Lakers fans, who hold advanced level degrees in Economics.
“The events leading up to this past Super Bowl prove how much we need a way for fans to vote on the performance of the other key participants – the refs and umpires, whose calls control the flow, pace and the outcome of games,” said RefRatings co-creator Jack Khayoyan, who holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Economics.
“Although one of the calls grabbed the headlines, the truth is there were a number of debatable calls in both games that were vote-worthy for fans.”
The app now covers every NFL, NBA, and MLB game, with plans to expand into college football and basketball, as well the NHL, in the future. The app is multi-faceted and multi-functional. In addition to voting on controversial calls, and viewing the statistical breakdown of the voting on such officiating, RefRatings offers live scores, play-by-play, box scores, team and player stats and betting odds.
“Anytime a call went against us, we were livid,” said Arsine Khayoyan, the other app co-creator, who a forensic economist with PhDs in economics and public policy.
“Especially when it came to Shaq. He was the hardest guy to officiate because he was so big and strong. Officials were calling fouls on him that they ignored for other players.”
“Yet, as statisticians, we also understood that the refs have an extremely tough job because of the variables they faced, including the increasing level of athleticism and changing rules. This app will also let fans give refs kudos when they’ve done a good job.”
Kudos to the Khayosan siblings for striking the iron hardest while the temperature is its hottest. However, they are also looking ahead to the future. Sports gambling is now legal in eight different states, and two more just passed bills allowing for legalization. RefRatings has a feature in the works that will allow users to place bets on games.
To connect with RefRatings on the three majors of social media: Twitter Instagram Facebook
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.