The very real problem with the Higgins story

[Levibooty]

The way the NCAA handles the officials today is embarrassingly incompetent. Fans are left with games that are poorly officiated and some games such as Kentucky's tournament games with Wisconsin and UNC, games tainted with the stink of outcome altering officiating. To make matters worse as with the Higgins case, a referee is awarded the privilege of calling the final four after a blatantly incompetent showing in the week before. Need I remind anyone it was not just UK fans that reacted to the first half calls by Higgins. The fans are left with the feeling they are being screwed by a consortium of corrupt people who for various reasons do not want to see UK/Calipari succeed and are left with no avenue of appeal. It smacks of corruption, incompetence, and back room deals.

The best thing that could happen from all this is the NCAA starts to train and rate it's referees. Fire the incompetent refs and replace them with better trained ones. There should be some consistency from game to game how they are officiated and referees who do a poor job handled like any other employee who show themselves to be incompetent.

 

[ukalum1988]

No less an authority than LHL's John Clay considers Higgins a respected official:

http://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-...1506464.html#emlnl=Kentucky_Sports_Newsletter

 

[Cattoyz]

Wash rinse repeat.

 

[Dablueman]

The way the NCAA handles the officials today is embarrassingly incompetent. Fans are left with games that are poorly officiated and some games such as Kentucky's tournament games with Wisconsin and UNC, games tainted with the stink of outcome altering officiating. To make matters worse as with the Higgins case, a referee is awarded the privilege of calling the final four after a blatantly incompetent showing in the week before. Need I remind anyone it was not just UK fans that reacted to the first half calls by Higgins. The fans are left with the feeling they are being screwed by a consortium of corrupt people who for various reasons do not want to see UK/Calipari succeed and are left with no avenue of appeal. It smacks of corruption, incompetence, and back room deals.

The best thing that could happen from all this is the NCAA starts to train and rate it's referees. Fire the incompetent refs and replace them with better trained ones. There should be some consistency from game to game how they are officiated and referees who do a poor job handled like any other employee who show themselves to be incompetent.

The political correctness is what is killing us here and the agendas of the sports networks and no not the conspiracy every one is out to get us agenda but the money the big money between NCAA and networks and the color guys doing the games on the most part bite their tongue on the officiating.

Just making the refs have to answer questions from the media would help alot. Some national humiliation would squash the god complex alot. Don't believe college refs are full time gigs and that is a problem. I understand that is alot of money. I still think the NCAA could afford it. It's business 101 got to spend money to make money. Make the refs full time including off season training.

If they try to claim they can't afford it then have a system of full and part time. Put one full time ref at each game give him over ride authority but also make him responsible as well. This isn't even a UK thing it's a college basketball thing and it would make the college game more appealing for casual fans.

 

[docholiday51]

The problem is he has gotten and continues to get rewarded for doing what he has done for years.He is calling the Final Four this year after what everyone saw on Sunday? The NCAA has made a travesty of a wonderful sporting event.It isn't even debatable he was so bias it was clear to everyone who watched.The only questions are why and how can the NCAA be o k with it.

 

[barryn2000]

No less an authority than LHL's John Clay considers Higgins a respected official:

http://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-...1506464.html#emlnl=Kentucky_Sports_Newsletter

"If you’re a fan who posted to Higgins’ Facebook page, or attempted to call him with a complaint or threat, you need to stop being a fan. Go find another hobby. Better yet, seek professional help. You’ve given Big Blue Nation and Kentucky basketball a national black eye."

And shame on all the posters here that stayed silent while a minority of this board encouraged this silly behavior.

 

[TheKentuckyKid]

"If you’re a fan who posted to Higgins’ Facebook page, or attempted to call him with a complaint or threat, you need to stop being a fan. Go find another hobby. Better yet, seek professional help. You’ve given Big Blue Nation and Kentucky basketball a national black eye."

And shame on all the posters here that stayed silent while a minority of this board encouraged this silly behavior.

Suck it.

 

[UKatman4evermore]

How much do the refs make per game? Over the weekend, I heard that in the NCAA they make $3000 per game. Is this the same during the regular season? If that's the case, then why isn't it a full time gig...figure it out. The college season runs about 25 weeks or so. Most of the refs work at least 3 games a week. That is 75 games a year...a nice round figure of $225,000 per year (season). Paying that kind of $$ the NCAA should more than expect nothing short of excellence in my opinion.

 

[BlueRunner11]

"If you’re a fan who posted to Higgins’ Facebook page, or attempted to call him with a complaint or threat, you need to stop being a fan. Go find another hobby. Better yet, seek professional help. You’ve given Big Blue Nation and Kentucky basketball a national black eye."

And shame on all the posters here that stayed silent while a minority of this board encouraged this silly behavior.

Thank God we have you around as our guiding light.

*sarcasm btw

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

$3000 per game

Damn dude, I'll do it for $2750.

 

[The_Answer1313]

How much do the refs make per game? Over the weekend, I heard that in the NCAA they make $3000 per game. Is this the same during the regular season? If that's the case, then why isn't it a full time gig...figure it out. The college season runs about 25 weeks or so. Most of the refs work at least 3 games a week. That is 75 games a year...a nice round figure of $225,000 per year (season). Paying that kind of $$ the NCAA should more than expect nothing short of excellence in my opinion.

Actually Higgins reffed 99 games this season. So assuming that 3,000 figure is accurate, that's 297,000

 

[OSOK]

"If you’re a fan who posted to Higgins’ Facebook page, or attempted to call him with a complaint or threat, you need to stop being a fan. Go find another hobby. Better yet, seek professional help. You’ve given Big Blue Nation and Kentucky basketball a national black eye."

And shame on all the posters here that stayed silent while a minority of this board encouraged this silly behavior.

I promise that next season I will be the perfect fan.

 

[TnRustyCAT]

No less an authority than LHL's John Clay considers Higgins a respected official:

http://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-...1506464.html#emlnl=Kentucky_Sports_Newsletter

It's FAKE SPORT'S REPORTING, with ALTERNATIVE FACT'S!!!

 

[awf]

"If you’re a fan who posted to Higgins’ Facebook page, or attempted to call him with a complaint or threat, you need to stop being a fan. Go find another hobby. Better yet, seek professional help. You’ve given Big Blue Nation and Kentucky basketball a national black eye."

And shame on all the posters here that stayed silent while a minority of this board encouraged this silly behavior.

I have no moral authority to say anything to any one for what they have done or what they are going to do. I can only state what is right for me.

 

[barryn2000]

I promise that next season I will be the perfect fan.

As much as I agree with the quoted paragraph in my post, I can't accept credit...those were not my words but a paragraph from the John Clay article.

I expected his words would cut really deep for some.

 

[jrm693]

The way the NCAA handles the officials today is embarrassingly incompetent. Fans are left with games that are poorly officiated and some games such as Kentucky's tournament games with Wisconsin and UNC, games tainted with the stink of outcome altering officiating. To make matters worse as with the Higgins case, a referee is awarded the privilege of calling the final four after a blatantly incompetent showing in the week before. Need I remind anyone it was not just UK fans that reacted to the first half calls by Higgins. The fans are left with the feeling they are being screwed by a consortium of corrupt people who for various reasons do not want to see UK/Calipari succeed and are left with no avenue of appeal. It smacks of corruption, incompetence, and back room deals.

The best thing that could happen from all this is the NCAA starts to train and rate it's referees. Fire the incompetent refs and replace them with better trained ones. There should be some consistency from game to game how they are officiated and referees who do a poor job handled like any other employee who show themselves to be incompetent.

I am with you 100% but you forgot maybe the most important thing, we are talking about the NCAA a organization that has shown its corruptness over and over. I have no way of proving it of course but it is not out of the realm of reality that Higgins was purposely put in that position to just add a little weight to the sled that UK was already pulling....WSU 30-4 UCLA ranked number 3 and then UNC and it should have been Kansas after that...Oregon spoiled that. Not telling you anything you don't know but I think it was a on purpose thing.

 

[ukalum1988]

As much as I agree with the quoted paragraph in my post, I can't accept credit...those were not my words but a paragraph from the John Clay article.

I expected his words would cut really deep for some.

Sorry but I don't look to John Clay to calibrate my moral compass and you shouldn't either.

 

[ladycat90]

Gee, You people need to stop whining about the refs

 

[Jazzycat]

If officials were held to any kind of accountability, then referees would be retained and placed due to their specific rating and grading system. It is almost like the system currently in place for bad cops or bad teachers or incompetent government workers. Bad ratings/evaluations do not get you fired because the union defends their own and the politics of each system is too entrenched. You can believe that the fraternity of officiating is on "high" alert as a result of this controversy and some of that attention may be a good thing. I do not agree at all with those fans who threaten or harass any individual, no matter what the situation. Posting some humorous reviews online is one thing - using the internet to make threats to life and property are another.

Maybe this incident will cause the NCAA officiating organization to look more closely at game film and make more difficult decisions about letting individuals go or putting them on probation if enough mistakes are made or if there is a pattern of incompetence. Sending video examples (embedded) in emails may be a solution. Something definitely needs to be done to draw attention to the inconsistency and inequality of some of the officiating currently going on.

 

[crestcat]

I am with you 100% but you forgot maybe the most important thing, we are talking about the NCAA a organization that has shown its corruptness over and over. I have no way of proving it of course but it is not out of the realm of reality that Higgins was purposely put in that position to just add a little weight to the sled that UK was already pulling....WSU 30-4 UCLA ranked number 3 and then UNC and it should have been Kansas after that...Oregon spoiled that. Not telling you anything you don't know but I think it was a on purpose thing.

Barney liked it

 

[barryn2000]

Sorry but I don't look to John Clay to calibrate my moral compass and you shouldn't either.

I doubt there is anyone that will get the crybullys to recognize/admit the immaturity of the FB thing and calling Higgins. We live in the I want what I want generation and OccupyHiggins is standard operating procedure.