Proposed NBA Post-Lockout Refs:
Way more bad calls. Way less fan complaints.

As I have been pondering the possibility of anointing an Actual Score NBA Champion, I visited a Web site that was called to my attention when the idea first arose, www.refcalls.com (thanks Stephanie G). The prevailing opinion was that I needed a good arbiter to help decide fair calls vs. bad calls, and that this site would provide a valuable service in that regard.

Anyway, when I went to check that site today, I found that the second-half analysis of Game 1 of the NBA Finals is "no longer available due to a copyright claim by the NBA." Refcalls has indicated it is doing what it can:

"We noticed on Thursday morning that our video has been taken down by YouTube. We are working on this. It makes you wonder if the NBA feels a little threatened by our work since there are thousands of YouTube videos with NBA footage in them that continue to run. Stay tuned."

I just thought I would toss in my two cents to the NBA:

First, You reveal your collective selves to be petty and insecure with a ham-handed move like this.

Second, fans don't need refcalls.com to generate ire over NBA officiating. In fact, I would argue refcalls.com does you a service. I suspect there are plenty of fans who visit the site only to come away realizing either: how difficult it is to make a given call without the benefit of slow-motion instant replay, or: that the questionable calls in a given game, when laid out in video form, are not as egregious as they remember in their mind's eye. Granted, I'm sure just as many folks visit the site and go away saying "yup, refs suck," but you know what, those people already thought that NBA refs suck.

Third, don't make yourselves ripe for satire. I satirize. And I have Evil in my name. Seriously.

Let refcalls.com continue doing what it's doing, and worry about more important things. Were you aware that there's an impending lockout? And you want to alienate fans even further with dime-store moves like this?

You're the NBA, for God's sake. In the words of one of your former stars and current commentators:

"You're better than that." - Mark Jackson

Editor's Note: Removal of this post is pending, due to the use of an NBA-sanctioned catch phrase.

Labels: NBA, refcalls.com