Rash of questionable replay decisions cast doubt on utility of replay review

Is replay review working?

Replay officials are tarnishing sporting events by altering the outcomes of games with inaccurate, subjective determinations.

Calls made by officials on the field are supposed to stand on replay review unless the calls are refuted by indisputable video evidence. Conversely, calls and non-calls on the field are supposed to be reversed when indisputable video evidence demonstrates the calls were incorrect. Unfortunately, however, the “indisputable video evidence” standard has proven elusive to replay officials.

For college football, the objective review standard is set forth succinctly in the NCAA Football Instant Replay Coaches Manual: “There must be indisputable video evidence for an on-field call to be changed by the Instant Replay Official.”

The comparable standard of review applied by replay officials in Major League Baseball provides that on-field calls are only to be reversed due to “clear and convincing evidence.”

Despite these clear, strict, mandatory standards, replay officials regularly spark controversy by rendering seemingly standardless determinations. A bevy of such controversial replay determinations impacted sporting events on Saturday, Oct. 5.

In the seventh inning of Game 1 of the Kansas City – New York AL divisional series, Yankees’ third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. attempted to steal second base. As he slid foot-first, Royals’ second baseman Michael Massey applied a tag, but the umpire on the field ruled Chisholm safe. Kansas City challenged the call, and the call was upheld despite video evidence showing separation between Chisholm’s cleat and the bag while Massey’s glove was on the cleat.