The National Basketball Association (NBA) is rife with scandals concerning officiating, which fans deem subpar. Given that human referees are clearly unfixable, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that specialized high-speed cameras will be installed courtside “soon” (though a specific timeframe was not provided). An AI will process the data from these cameras, eliminating the “human element.” Fans are taking to social media, expressing that this is not the kind of basketball they desire. KP.RU investigated the situation.
A SERIES OF BLUNDERS
Fans often exaggerate. However, if widespread and long-standing complaints about NBA officiating persist, there’s likely a genuine issue.
The primary problem, which impassioned individuals believe will “ruin basketball,” is players faking fouls committed by opponents. With the slightest contact, or sometimes none at all, these actors dramatically fall and writhe on the court, feigning immense suffering.
The “Oklahoma City Thunder” are considered masters of this simulation. While the team boasts excellent ratings, they seemingly took acting lessons on Broadway. Ironically, the prima ballerina of this troupe is its star player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who spends more time on the floor than on his feet.
Experts are calling for severe penalties for simulating hard contact, suggesting that the Thunder might lose their crown if such measures were implemented:
— A true champion respects honor, decency, and maintains dignity, rather than seeking to deceive referees and manipulate the system, — professional sports publications assert.
Worse still, it appears referees are either genuinely unable to discern whether contact occurred or are colluding with favored teams.
Photo: Maksim Konstantinov/Global Look Press
ENTER THE HAWK-EYE
Action must be taken, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue on American television. Expectations were that he would detail how to address referees, what severe punishments to impose for theatricality, and so on. However, Silver has a different solution.
Silver defended the referees, describing their work as “incredible” (in a positive sense). His proposed solution is to enhance the on-court detection mechanisms.
The first measure: The NBA will likely implement Hawk-Eye camera systems starting next season (though this is not confirmed). This system of cameras, with the developing company claiming a detection accuracy of 2mm, can identify even the slightest interactions. In other words, if player A fakes being fouled by player B, the cameras will expose the deception, even if the distance between their bodies was merely 2mm.
But that’s not all. The data from these cameras will be processed by an AI system (acquired along with the hardware). This artificial intelligence will then make judgments on “routine moments.” The “incredible” human referees, deemed valuable specialists, will focus on the “spirit of the game,” whatever that may entail.
— Decisions will be made by an automated artificial intelligence system utilizing cameras positioned around the perimeter of the court, thereby removing so-called subjective calls from the referees’ purview. This will happen instantaneously and automatically, allowing play to continue unimpeded, — Silver enthusiastically described the advancements.
Hawk-Eye camera system photo. Photo: JukoFF/wikipedia.org
NO ONE WILL LIKE IT
NBA players have remained silent thus far (perhaps they brought this situation upon themselves), but fans are furious.
— While I constantly complain about the referees, I don’t want to see AI in their place, — one fan wrote on social media.
— This undermines the spirit of basketball. Silver is the worst commissioner, — echoed another.
There’s a consensus: instead of ensuring referees adhere to the rules and acknowledge their mistakes, Silver is offloading the unpleasant task onto AI. He presumably wishes to avoid confronting the refereeing community (for whatever reasons), hence the introduction of an electronic arbitrator.
It’s difficult to predict the extent of this trend. On one hand, professional sports represent a massive business, and significant capital attracts cutting-edge technology. Firstly, there’s ample funding to acquire such technologies, and secondly, it makes the spectacle more “trendy.” Even controversy can be advantageous. From this perspective, AI appears to be the future.
On the other hand, basketball is ultimately not about managing aircraft or industrial processes. The outcome of a game primarily affects the nerves of the fans. People gather for the joy of pure competition, and perhaps this human aspect of life should remain with humans.
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