A Fan's Perspective on the NBA Scandal

It has recently been brought to the public that the FBI is investigating an NBA referee who had bet on games; even the games he himself had refereed. Every major sports website has their writers throwing around their opinions on the case and what it means to the fans. Funny thing- none of them have actually asked any fan what their view on the situation is. As a huge fan of the NBA, I'm here to give my own.

First things first: it's important to note that the ref in question is being investigated, and is cooperating. This means that he is not yet guilty. Anything beyond this is all based on the assumption that someone was actually betting on NBA games while refereeing. With that being said, two major questions come up, automatically, in my head:

Did he change the games he refereed? This is the most basic question that I'm sure has found its way in the minds of sports fans everywhere. Say the Lakers are down by 3 with two minutes left, and the ref in question has a bet for the Lakers winning. Kobe drives the lane, and a whistle blows. Was it really a foul? Was he more inclined to make the call in the Lakers favor? I'm not going to say that he intentionally threw games, but I could easily see him, without meaning to, favoring one team over another, knowing before the game that he had a team he wished to win.

This is the one question that shakes not only NBA fans, but fans of all professional sports. Any sports fan questions why the refs make certain calls while watching their favorite team play, but no one actually believes that the refs would forcefully tank a game for a team through calls. If that's the case, the same thing could logically happen in the NFL, the NHL, the MLS...the list goes on. This is the thing that bugs me the most as a sports fan; this could happen anywhere. Because the NBA is my favorite league, I find myself questioning the refs in any other league, automatically wondering if there are any other refs doing the same thing. This one act causes a blow to not only the NBA itself, but to all other sports leagues.

What will the league do? It's easy to believe that this was kept totally under-wraps, and that the league and its officials were totally oblivious to what was going on behind the scenes. But what will the league do now? Any fan of the NBA feels awkward about the situation, even somewhat betrayed. The credibility of the league has taken a huge hit, a hit that will last well into the next season. Already questionable calls will be scrutinized even more. Any ref found making more than one questionable call (that could easily be accidental) will suddenly be questioned by fans, and certain members of the media alike. The steps that the league takes in the next few months will determine how their refs are seen by the fans for a few years, easily.

Am I upset that something like this has happened? Sure, I find myself wondering if that ref really did give LeBron an extra trip to the line or two, and if he really fell for that flop by Ginobli, just to give the Cavaliers the edge. Do I believe it whole heartedly? I don't want to. And if worse comes to worse, I want to know that the league is taking extensive measures to make sure these things aren't happening. My biggest worry is that the thought of refs being biased will follow me through the year as I watch my favorite teams. Will I stay as into the league as I have before, constantly wondering if that call really was legit? I'll find out in a few months.