Though the uproar over replacement referees actually boosted television ratings, the swift end to the NFL referee lockout last week demonstrated how important integrity and quality is to the league and its millions of fans.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was at the center of the controversy, not only because he is the “most powerful man in sports,” but also because he has “made protecting certain aspects of the sport’s good name his consuming aim,” according to the New York Times’ Judy Battista. Elevating the league’s standards both on and off the field with moves like a strict personal conduct policy and heavy punishments for New Orleans’ ‘Bountygate,’ Goodell has bolstered the NFL’s excellent brand and helped it become “America’s premier sports league by sheer entertainment value, a demand for perfection, and a hard-earned reputation for integrity,” according to the Christian Science Monitor’s Patrik Jonsson.
Controversy showed the importance of referees to NFL’s integrity
The lockout controversy showed how important the referees are to that integrity – and how undervalued they had been from that standpoint. Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins offers a fascinating account of how officiating has been an integral part of American football since its beginnings, distinguishing it from the traditional “honor code” of British rugby. Given its fundamental role in the sport, its not surprising that less skilled officiating had a significant impact on the level of play.
Goodell and the NFL were criticized for coasting along on fan loyalty and replacements until they could negotiate a better contract with the referees. They didn’t appear to realize that loyalty is based on certain expectations, among them quality officiating. “For the NFL to lack integrity based on the replacement officials quickly became a big problem for them, because people expect perfection and the product to be seamless,” USC Sports Business Institute David Carter told the Alaska Dispatch. The regular officials sometimes make bad calls, too, but “the difference in those cases was that fans, players and coaches knew it was a mistake and did not think that the league had allowed incompetence to determine games in the name of a more favorable business deal,” according to the Times’ Battista.
Fan outrage & endangered NFL reputation was the turning point
The turning point was the controversial ending to last Monday’s Seahawks-Packers game, which sparked widespread outrage that registered on social media, in an ESPN fan poll, and even reached the White House, with President Obama calling the game-deciding call “terrible.” With its reputation clearly in danger, the NFL and the referees quickly returned to the negotiating table and hammered out a compromise. “No matter how money-driven fans think Roger Goodell and the owners are, they are human beings,” writes ESPN’s Darren Rovell. “They do have pride in what they do.”
Both sides were hoping that they would emerge from the lockout with the best deal, but it looks like each ended up putting their sport’s reputation ahead of getting exactly what they wanted. The deal showed that the NFL “is willing to share its prodigious wealth to protect the reputation of the game,” according to the Washington Post’s Tracee Hamilton, but she also highlights the referees’ agreement to let the league hire additional officials and fire underperforming ones. “This was a concession by the union, and an important one,” Hamilton says. “If the league wants to protect its image, and the officials want to be regarded as an integral part of the NFL, they have to be held to a high standard.” Goodell defended the league’s decisions in a letter to fans, but he also acknowledged that the lockout’s damage would require mending. “We always are going to have to work harder to make sure we get people’s trust and confidence in us,” he said.
