Study On Race Calls Foul On NBA Referees

League Disputes Research That Says Officials Call More Fouls On Players Of Opposite Race

(CBS/AP)  An academic study of NBA officiating found that white referees called fouls at a greater rate against black players than against white players, The New York Times reported in Wednesday's editions.

The study by a University of Pennsylvania assistant professor and Cornell graduate student also found that black officials called fouls more frequently against white players than black, but noted that that tendency was not as pronounced.

Justin Wolfers, an assistant professor of business and public policy at Penn's Wharton School, and Joseph Price, a Cornell graduate student in economics, said the difference in calls "is large enough that the probability of a team winning is noticeably affected by the racial composition of the refereeing crew."

The study, conducted over a 13-season span through 2004, found that the racial makeup of a three-man officiating crew affected calls by up to 4½ percent.

Black players played 83 percent of the minutes on the floor, during the period studied by Wolfers and Price, with 68 percent of officials being white. Thirty percent of the time the three-person crews were entirely white; 47 percent of the time two officials are white, 20 percent of the time the crews have two black officials or were entirely black (3 percent), the Times reported.

The NBA strongly criticized the study, which was based on information from publicly available box scores, which show only the referees' names and contain no information about which official made a call.

"The study that is cited in the New York Times article is wrong," president of league and basketball operations Joel Litvin told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. "The fact is there is no evidence of racial bias in foul calls made by NBA officials and that is based on a study conducted by our experts who looked at data that was far more robust and current than the data relied upon by Professor Wolfers.

"The short of it is Wolfers and Price only looked at calls made by three-man crews. Our experts were able to analyze calls made by individual referees."

However, three independent experts asked to review the study by Wolfers and Price for the Times said the argument the two academics make is stronger.

"I would be more surprised if it didn’t exist," Ian Ayres of Yale Law School and one of the Times' experts, said of the suggested racial bias.

Litvin said the NBA's study, using data from November 2004 to January 2007, included some 148,000 calls and included which official made each call. The Times said the NBA denied a request by Wolfers and Price to obtain that information, citing its confidentiality agreement with the officials.

The study also found differences in everything from a decrease in scoring to a rise in turnovers depending on the officials' race.

"Player-performance appears to deteriorate at every margin when officiated by a larger fraction of opposite-race referees," Wolfers and Price wrote.

But the key finding was in regard to foul calls, saying "black players receive around 0.12-0.20 more fouls per 48 minutes played (an increase of 2½-4½ percent) when the number of white referees officiating a game increases from zero to three."

The NBA has an observer at each game and closely monitors its officials, who are required to file reports after each game they work and are expected to be able to explain each potentially controversial call they have made.

Litvin said in an original version of the paper, dated March 2006, Wolfers and Price came to the conclusion that there was no bias. He added that the NBA's research "all prove beyond any doubt in our minds that these guys are just flat wrong."

"They reached conclusions in their own papers that are unsupported by their own calculations," Litvin said.

Wolfers and Price are set to present the paper at meetings of the Society of Labor Economists on Friday and the American Law and Economics Association on Sunday. The Times said they will then submit it to the National Bureau of Economic Research and for formal peer review before consideration by an economic journal.

[tbweb]

I also think we should protest the number of white stripes on the referees jerseys too, when they wear those shirts it always seems like there are more white stripes than black stripes! There should be an equal number of black and white stripes on referee jerseys! It that stupid? So is this article! :)

[ralan40]

there are enough variables in this study to prove anything. These same statistics could prove the NBA of not using enough black referees so there was an automatic "race bias" from the get go. And what's a 4% margin in games involving hundreds of points? Where's the Margin of error. You can't have a statistical study, release the results and have no margin of error. Who are they kidding? Sounds like some angry black Actuarials got some press time to make up for nthe Duke rape case.

[deathtoallah]

...."found that white referees called fouls at a greater rate against black players than against white players,...."

...."also found that black officials called fouls more frequently against white players than black, but noted that that tendency was not as pronounced"

How come it is "not as pronounced" when black officials do it, but when white officials do it it is insinuated to be very pronounced.
You people have got to get a grip. Everything we do, everything we say, you accuse us as having a racist tone to it. I guess they won't be happy until all of the white people are as oppressed as blacks were back in the day. Well take your racism and walk away, because you black ones are the racists and you keep it going by pointing the finger so much at the whites. They made a big mistake when they forced us all to live together in harmony, because it sure hasn't been harmony for the whites. It's ok for the black officials, they do it but not as openly, but whiite officials are very open with the "racism"...What a crock of BS..
These news reports are so one sided that it makes you sick. CBS has a real problem here lately with what they report.

[iceman_1960]

"But the key finding was in regard to foul calls, saying "black players receive around 0.12 - 0.20 more fouls per 48 minutes played (an increase of 2.5 to 4.5 percent) when the number of white referees officiating a game increases from zero to three."

The above was meant as satire, right ?

And even if such a tiny increase, when you go from zero to three white officials, were significant, couldn't it also mean that black referees were "giving the Brothers a break," rather than "white officials were being racist" ?

[tbweb]

Next we'll be arguing that Chinese restaurants always serve white rice with meals first by default and you have to request brown rice! So I guess race creeps into our Chinese food orders too! Is that stupid? So is this article!

[knyghtwolf]

Okay, enough is ENOUGH, lets get down to business here; first, on the boxes of Uncle Ben's Rice, when are they going to put a WHITE face on the box, when are they going to put a white woman on Aunt Jammima's syrup? How about Zatieran's rice? How about cream of wheat? How about some different faces on those kool cigarette ads I keep seeing every so often on inner city billboards, I know there are other people besides Blacks that smoke kools.

I think that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have hired a bunch of black racists to play white and are using them to promote racism, LOLOL. People are people, some are going to hate no matter what you say or do. I lost the love of my life to some black drunk in a bar & he later on killed her in a car accident, does that mean I should hate EVERY black male that looks at a white woman? Nah, it just means that some guy took a huge problem off my hands and in the intrim, he got himself offed instead of me. Thats way I see it. I would rather be a racist against politicans than anyone else; they deserve it.

[ralan40]

Did the study look at WHO was fouled when the white refs supposedly called more fouls on the black players?

What I'm getting at is if a white ref calls a black player for a foul on another black player, where's the racism in that? The fouled black player benefits from his opponent getting a foul.

This was a fouled up study from the start.
Posted by hawksprings at 04:52 PM : May 02, 2007

...Good point there are enough variables in this study to prove anything. These same statistics could prove the NBA of not using enough black referees so there was an automatic "race bias" from the get go. And what's a 4% margin in games involving hundreds of points? Where's the Margin of error. You can't have a statistical study, release the results and have no margin of error. Who are they kidding? Sounds like some angry black Actuarials got some press time to make up for nthe Duke rape case.

[mikealford3]

I CANNOT HELP BUT ASK, WHO REALLY GIVES A D**M? AND WHY? WHY IS THIS STUDY EVEN WORTHY OF BEING NEWS? IT'S KINDA LIKE CONGRESS GETTING INVOLVED WITH MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. WITH ALL THE STUFF GOING ON IN THIS WORLD, WHY DO WE PUT SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON PROFESSIONAL SPORTS? QUITE FRANKLY WITH THE WAY SOME OF THE NBA PLAYERS ACT, I WOULD NOT CARE IF THE LEAGUE FOLDED.

[toolmangler-2009]

Actually, goldenbear16, the study took into account those percentages...
Posted by rwassel at 01:14 PM : May 02, 2007





Just exactly how did they compensate? 80% of the time you can't call a foul in the NBA without getting a Black no matter 'who' calls it.

[johnnik1]

*** you once again CBS.

[hawksprings]

Did the study look at WHO was fouled when the white refs supposedly called more fouls on the black players?

What I'm getting at is if a white ref calls a black player for a foul on another black player, where's the racism in that? The fouled black player benefits from his opponent getting a foul.

This was a fouled up study from the start.

[infidel_us]

Racism is everywhere%u2026.at your school, at your job, at the park%u2026. And yes in the NBA. To deny it is to try to cover it up%u2026.
Posted by nikon1962 at 02:15 PM : May 02, 2007

It isn't "racism" if students choose to have off school premisis proms with people of their own choosing. What do you think, the SCHOOL was setting this policy??? But you are correct.....it is everywhere. IMO, 80% of blacks don't really like whites and visa versa.

There are exceptions, and there are some really cool people on both sides, but we are a LONG way from racial harmony. Just ask Sharpton & Jackson (the shakedown bruthas)

[liebchen21]

Rev.s Sharpton and Jackson will never apologize for anything as long as the pendelum is swinging in what they think is their favor, regardless of whether they look ridiculous or not. It's really sad that even something that is supposed to be a GAME (we all know otherwise) is not even immune to becoming a race issue.

My other thought is: why are some people really complaining? Did your team not win? Were the fouls not earned? Did you lose money on a bet because your hero got one too many fouls? Have you ever even watched an NBA game, or are you just looking for an excuse to jump on todays racial bandwagon? My bet is on the latter.

[hawksprings]

When are Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson going to address the NBA's racism of having 60% or more of the players in the NBA being black when blacks only make up 12-13% of the US population?

Just asking.

[nowhiteguilt]

IF IT WASN'T FOR US WHITTIES BUYING 99% OF THOSE OVER PRICED SEASON TICKETS AND ALL THE NBA PRODUCTS THAT KEEP THAT MACHINERY WELL GREASED, THERE WOULDN'T BE NO MULTI-MILLIONAIRE MICHAEL JORDON, NO
MAGIC JOHNSON, NO NBA CRIBS, NO BLOOD DIAMONDS / BLINGS, NO FRIGGING NBA PERIOD!!!! SO SHUT THE F$$K UP!

[cathaleen]

Someone needs to apologize. LOL

[liebchen21]

I think in general everyone's "worldview" varies, but a lot of people's depend on their race, as does mine. I've not said anything in this thread just and only because it's anonymous. I think racial tension will always be a major concern in this country, and will remain unresolved. My sister and I had many friendly debates when she was in her teens about issues such as race, s*xual orientation, religion, etc., and she was very idealistic. Then she grew up and had to face reality. I will say now, as I said then, I do not ever wish to see anyone dehumanized because of their race or s*xual orientation. But I also do not wish for them to get more education, salary, benefits or freedoms than I do only because of their race, s*xual orientation or religion. If whatever it is is earned and deserved, then I'd be the first to congratulate them, regardless of who they are. And I think most Americans share the same feelings.

[ivandrago]

Also we must assume that the researchers have accomidated for the greater ratio of black players, and white refs in their findings. You can get solid stats when you have 14 years to work with. I'm not saying that the finding are completely flawless. Nobody here has reviewed the finding, so we don't know.

Just because findings don't match your worldview doesn't make them inherently untrue.

[ivandrago]

this whole thread is quite toxic. peoples ugly sides are coming out because of the anonymous nature of this forum. try objectively looking at the data before you spew racially charged language from your keyboards. this is one of the ugly things about the internet.

[ElizabethsDad]

Numbers don%u2019t lie%u2026. People do. If you think the NBA is immune to racism, then your blind%u2026.. Did you not read the story last week where a Georgia High School had their 1st Mixed Prom... WOW in 2007. Before this they had a separate Prom for blacks and another for whites%u2026. Racism is everywhere%u2026.at your school, at your job, at the park%u2026. And yes in the NBA. To deny it is to try to cover it up%u2026.