With the controversial call resulting in an Iowa football loss, a change needs to be considered to ensure 100% accuracy with every call. This is an increasing issue that professional sports programs have attempted to solve over the past years.

During the Iowa football game on Sunday, a controversial call was made on a punt return. The punt returner scored a touchdown to take the lead in the game, but the touchdown was overturned. The referees came to the conclusion that the returner waved his left hand before receiving the punt, signaling for a fair catch. This call resulted in a Hawkeye loss.

Controversial calls are present in every sport, forcing referees and umpires to make calls using their best judgment. However, if the call doesn’t go their way, fans, players and coaches become flustered. “We need a clear depiction of the rules, especially with big calls like that,” said Iowa football fan Austin Bullock. Is it possible to have no errors from referees and umpires?

Many sports have attempted to solve this question in recent years. For instance, in soccer during the 2022 World Cup, sensors were put in the soccer ball to better determine if a player is offside and if a goal was scored or not. 

Baseball umpires make at least one call every play and have the power to change the outcome of the game. The MLB has technology which shows the speed, type of pitch and placement of the ball. This technology is displayed for the viewers watching on television. Instead of using this technology in the game, balls and strikes stand with whatever the umpire calls. 

There have been many cases where an umpire has made a bad call and it changed the course of the game. One umpire, Angel Hernandez, is notorious for his inaccurate calls. He scored an 84% on his accuracy for the 2023 season, which is far worse than any other umpire in the league. 

“One part of the game that could be improved is having both the pitcher and batter have the ability to challenge a call during every at bat,” suggested Dylan Richey, a pitcher from South Dakota State University. He recalls many times he had been “robbed” from a good pitching appearance because of the umpires’ inaccurate calls. This rule change could improve the game, benefitting both the pitcher and the batter.

While getting rid of umpires would help with accuracy, using solely technology would completely change the game. “Half of the catcher’s job is to frame pitches and make them look like strikes,” said Richey, “Converting to completely automatic umpiring would take that aspect out of the game.”

Should technology replace umpires and referees across professional sports, or should new rules be put in place to ensure better accuracy? Nevertheless, a change may be necessary to make more accurate and consistent calls in all sports.