Pay them more. Make them full time employees and put them on stringent performance reviews.
I just don’t believe the NFL will do anything about these issues. If they really wanted to improve accuracy of calls, they’d have done it by now. MLB is making efforts – why not the NFL? It’s hard not to get all conspiracy theory here – especially with the amount of betting money that’s come into the games since online betting evolved. Two ideas:
In game:
As some have said, if the NFL really wanted to improve the quality of the games, they would allow two coach penalty challenges per game. No questions asked, the coach throws the flag and it gets reviewed by an
INDEPENDENT body of recently retired referees (selected by a majority of the owners) –
NOT NFL personnel in NYC. They have proven they may not be objective.
Weekly:
As I have mentioned, after each week’s games, this
INDEPENDENT unit of referees reviews
ALL the plays. They check for missed calls, blown calls and correct calls. And any other training opportunities.
A “scorecard” is tabulated and each referee gets a “grade” for their week’s work. Consistently failing referees get let go after they’ve accumulated enough games with failing grades.
You could use these scores for other beneficial efforts:
AI: Do the NFL referees work the same games together?
Yes, NFL referees typically work the same games together throughout the regular season.
Using these scores, you could identify crews that have an overall bad grade and assign refs from other crews to make the unit better. This might reduce bad calls by the same crews. All crews become optimized.
Allow coaches to make in-game challenges, build scorecards for the referees and make adjustments to the crews to ensure each crew is as accurate as they can be.
Will the NFL ever do this? I’m pretty certain the answer is no. The real question is
WHY???
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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4p7-4LYVX8&t=69s
Not full-time, but with day jobs
The NFL is the only major US sports league that doesn’t employ full-time referees. Instead, the big league relies on about 120 part-time officials. They work roughly 17 regular-season games, plus possible postseason assignments, while holding other careers outside of football.
This has resulted in a system that has created a unique mix of backgrounds in the field. Legendary referee Ed Hochuli, for instance, worked as a lawyer.
Meanwhile, Gene Steratore, who retired in 2018 after 15 seasons, founded a sanitary supply company. So evidently, far from being year-round professionals, most referees balance their role with entirely different careers.
How much do NFL officials earn per game?
The part-time label can be misleading, though, because the pay is far from modest. According to estimates, NFL referees earn between $205,000 and $250,000 annually. Even entry-level officials often make $100,000–$200,000, while veteran crew chiefs can push above $250,000.
Delving deeper, reports reveal that per-game earnings hover around $5,000 to $13,000, nearly doubling in the playoffs. The Super Bowl, as expected, remains the ultimate payday, as that assignment can net an NFL ref anywhere between $30,000 and $50,000, more than many Americans make in a year.
These figures explain why officiating, even on a part-time basis, remains highly coveted.
What a racket!! A six figure part time job!! I'd like that!
Solution:
Take a two year average of what their "primary" income is and add the established referee compensation and require them to work as referees all year log. Take that time off to review films, investigate how to make officiating more accurate, etc. Become masters of your craft, instead of part time apprentices.
