Instant Replay in Sports Should be Universal

A "photo finish" at an Olympic cycling event.

To err is human, but to persevere in error is only the act of a fool. -Cicero

Some of you  may have noticed my longer-than-usual absence from the blogosphere.    Between recovering from multiple bee stings, indulging myself in World Cup action, and attending to my day job, there has been little time for me to write.  I have emerged from my post-Benadryl fog and for now, the work load has slightly lessened.  However, the World Cup in South Africa is still producing much excitement–and lots of disputable calls.

Following England’s 1-4 defeat to Germany, the already heated discussion over adding instant replay to football intensified much more.  In case you missed it, England’s Frank Lampard clearly scored a goal which a referee declared as a no-goal.  In addition to this blatant error, later that day, a referee awarded a goal to Argentina, even though ESPN’s replay, showed that the scorer, Carlos Tevez, was offside.  These were two blatant errors in one day, adding to several other poor calls previously made in the tournament.

Yesterday, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that the topic of instant replay will be revisited again and thoroughly reviewed by FIFA members.  Of course, this does little to help those marred by the poor refereeing.  It’s a topic that is examined and re-examined every year, but with no change.

Instant replay was first used at the 1960 men's slalom event.

Football is not the only sport to be affected by the instant replay issue.  It’s also been a hot topic for debate in the Olympics.  The term “instant replay” was coined at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California.  When a close finish during the men’s slalom race left officials unsure of the winner, they turned to CBS television to replay the video so they could determine the order of medalists.   And so it was that the sports term “instant replay” was born.  It’s taken awhile, but over time, Olympic sports have slowly been adding technology–particularly the use of instant replay–to help ensure the fairness and integrity:

• 2002: With judging scandals plaguing the sport, figure skating added a technical specialist and instant replay.  The replay allows him or her to review each element so that judges have accurate information to award a skater the correct number of points for the elements.
• 2006: The International Gymnastics Federation introduced instant replay to improve its reputation and scoring results.
• 2009: The World Taekwondo Federation added the instant replay option to review cases of disputes during competition.
• In Winter Olympic Ice Hockey, all scored goals are immediately reviewed using instant replay to ensure their legitimacy.
• FINA, swimming’s international governing body, has finally begun to use instant replay.
• IAAF, which governs track and field, has used video and still imagery for years to resolve disputed finishes.

The list isn’t complete, but it’s a nice representation of how many Olympic sports are using technology.  There are those who argue  for and against the use of enhancements such as instant replay.   I would ask them to read Cicero’s quote above.  For FIFA–or any other sports governing body–to continue allowing human errors when technology is available is simply persevering “in error,” and a foolish act.

There can be a happy blend of technology and sport.  Continue banning performance enhancement drugs, as well as the high-tech swimsuits.  Yet for the sake of the sport and the athletes who train so hard, make the results fair without compromising integrity.  Shouldn’t each governing body set the example and always strive for improvement, just as its athletes already do?

Swifter, Higher, Stronger.