Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Other NFL Lockout



If you've been watching any preseason games this year, you’ve probably heard the commentators talk about the use of replacement referees. If you’re like me and don’t really care about the preseason, here’s what’s happening: The NFL and the NFL Referee’s Association have yet to sign a new collective bargaining agreement. Just like the NFL lockout last summer, this means that NFL officials won’t be working any NFL games this season until a new deal is agreed upon. The two sides met late last week for a few days but were unable to structure and sign a new contract. After talks broke down on Saturday, the NFL announced that replacement officials will be used during week 1 of the season, beginning September 5.

The NFL has already made some minor concessions during the negotiations, but it’s clear the NFLRA still wants other additions, including salary increases and better pension/retirement benefits. Nothing has been settled as of yet, so it looks like we’ll have replacement officials for the foreseeable future, at least until the two sides agree to meet again.

From the limited about of preseason games I’ve watched, along with a plethora of YouTube clips (see below), it’s clear that the replacement referees could be doing a whole lot better. Players and coaches have had varying degrees of disgruntlement, but those sentiments will surely increase exponentially once a replacement ref makes a horrible/game-changing call during the regular season. On the bright side, the NFL has announced that they’ll be sending their own officiating supervisors to each game to assist the replacements. The supervisor’s authority will be limited, as final decisions will still be made by the referees. However, the supervisor will be able to communicate with officials from a booth to ensure correct enforcement of penalties. Hopefully this will lessen the likelihood of major mistakes, but I’m not sold entirely.


As an NFL fan, I hope the NFL and NFLRA can come to a fair agreement as soon as possible. It’s not like the 2011 NFL lockout, because they’re will still be football, but replacement officials can certainly have a negative impact on game outcomes and fan enjoyment.

2 comments:

  1. If it's the referees who want concessions from the owners, why is this a lockout rather than a strike? Shouldn't the NFL be happy to have the refs keep working under the old agreement until something new can be worked out?

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    1. It's a lockout because the old collective bargaining agreement expired. Therefore the regular referees cannot work for the NFL until a new one is reached.

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