Adam Silver: ‘Human error is part of game’ when speaking on officiating

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“We are all human.” That quote is said by someone on some part of this earth, every single day. It is said so often because it is true. We are not robots, we are human beings and are prone to making a few mistakes here and there.

Something that has come up over the past few weeks is the missed calls by referees in the NBA, especially with the calls being missed, and ultimately being the deciding factor.

In an interview with ESPN, Adam Silver was quoted saying,

“Roughly 90 percent — they get it right,” Silver said. “Now, of course, I’d like 90 percent to be 100 percent. And so would they. But what these reports also show, what fans already know is, human error is part of this game, and the best athletes in the world make mistakes. And coaches occasionally make mistakes. Officials do, too.”

It is tough for a guy like Adam Silver, because he does not want to make the officials a story-line. He wants to keep them out of the limelight. But with the NBA’s “Last Two Minute” report being now published after every NBA game, the NBA is basically bringing all the press onto themselves and here is why.

The NBA has come out the next day after a crucial game that was decided by a call or missed call from officials, saying that a call “was missed” and “should not have been made”. Doing this does nothing for the fans at home, or anything for the players on the court. It is only helping the NBA’s ego thinking that this can help resolve the tension or issue at hand when it affects a crucial game. When Silver says he does not want to make the officials a headline, I think, “Well, coming out the next day saying all of this brings those refs right under the microscope, so that is the last thing you would want to say.”

With the ‘Last Two Minute’ report being out there for the public to see, it brings the referees back into the limelight. I understand what Silver is saying when the refs are ‘90% right’, and that ‘human error’ will always play a factor. But with the technology we have today there needs to be more change. Let the coaches have challenge options for calls that they think were missed. The league as a whole understands that human error is there, but lets see if other people watching the game can help with what the referees miss.

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