This is the second part in a three-part series of sponsored posts by Samsung on ways to enhance the fan experience in the game of college hockey. This week's topic: Why aren't officials made available to the media after games?
The rest of the post is after the jump.
First off, I get why officials aren't made available. They have to make difficult and controversial judgment calls, and the powers that be don't want them taking any extra heat for their decisions.
But under this scenario, they would only be dealing with the media, which by and large, is a pretty professional group, save that one girl from Miami who cried during a Frozen Four press conference. They'd be required, and able to. act in a professional manner when questioning officials, same as they are for questioning coaches and players after a game.
Having officials explain themselves would be of huge benefit to fans. Fans expected to pay a good deal of money for games, and often times, officiating decisions can play a huge role in the outcome of a game. I think they at least deserve some sort of explanation of what was going on.
If anything, I think it would only serve to decrease the controversy of any play. The most controversial officiating decision in sports in the past year, Jim Joyce's blown call to ruin Armando Galarraga's perfect game, was at least helped by the fact that Joyce admitted after the game that he missed the call. Getting an explanation of what an official saw and why he made the judgment he did would go a long ways in clearing things up for fans and making the game more enjoyable. There's a big responsibility on officials, and they should be able to own up to that responsibility after a game.