Living in the Moment
With the World Cup, Galarraga’s almost-perfect game, and other recent sporting events, there’s been a lot of talk of the need for instant replay. I’m intrigued by calls for this because I mostly disagree.
As I write this, Argentina just scored against Mexico, but were obviously off-side on the TV replay.
Most programmers I talk to see sports as black and white. There is a right call for every play, and replays help get them right. I’ve even talked to people who wish robots could officiate, so they could always get it right.
However, I think there’s something to be said for living in the moment and trusting the officials on the field. Sure, they’ll make mistakes; they’re human.
Would we still be talking about Galarraga’s game had it been deemed perfect via replay, or would we have mostly forgotten it? Would pub conversations be as colorful if off-sides was reviewable or robots could officiate? I think not.
Human fallibility gives us shared outrage, collective frustration, and frankly, something to talk about. While there are certainly cases of instant replay done well (NHL) I keep a special place in my heart for sports that rely on the calls on the field.
What do you think?
About Daniel Morrison
Daniel founded Collective Idea in 2005 to put a name to his growing and already full-time freelance work. He works hard writing code, teaching, and mentoring.
Comments
sorry bro, but the NHL does NOT have ‘instant replay done well’ (see: ‘intent to blow the whistle’ and the inability for the instant reply refs in toronto to overrule the on ice call)
Carl Morrison: haha, good point. I was thinking it was done well in the sense of it doesn’t slow down the game too much.
this is what reply would have shown, so it really doesn’t make a difference http://i.imgur.com/xcr3p.jpg
I totally agree, as long as the bad call is not against my team :P
Totally agree too, I’m from Brazil and our soccer league is very competitive, without the humam factor, it wouldn’t be so good.