Generation J.D.

The Ravens got the job done this weekend, defeating the previously undefeated Denver Broncos 30-7 before a reported 71,000+ fans at PSINet M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.  Having listened to the comments of some of the players and having read the initial recaps of the game, though, this season’s ongoing frustration with the refereeing continues.  The Sun’s Ravens columnists described a few of the game’s apparent officiating blunders:

When Mason’s jersey was pulled from M&T Bank Stadium to Dundalk and there was no call in the first quarter, you thought the refs were going to let the guys play. Then from clear across the field a back judge throws a flag on Domonique Foxworth when it looked like the receiver was actually pulling his arm down. Plus, there was no way to see it from behind. The NFL really needs to look at the competancy [sic] of its officials.

Regardless of a sporting event’s outcome, the participants whose performance is almost always criticized is the officials, sometimes viciously.  When municipal pride prevents fans from seeing flaws in their given team’s performance, the anonymity of the internet allows them an outlet to attack and disparage the game officials.  After making a particularly bad call last season and directly affecting the outcome of a game, NFL official Ed Hochuli reported receiving hundreds of pieces of “hate” email, and he did not even address the vitriol directed at him on message boards and in the blogosphere.

The frequent criticisms of sports officials–inconsistency, poor judgment, bias, pressure from the players–sound much like the criticisms frequently directed at judges by lawyers and litigants who appear before them.  Because judges operate in a system in which there are always winners and losers, like in sports, the ire of those on the losing side is often directed at the arbiter.  Not to be outdone by their sports fan counterparts, the internet has also given forums to the judicially aggrieved to publish their own anonymous critiques.  Websites like TheRobingRoom.com and CourthouseForum.com allow lawyers and litigants to anonymously grade and criticize the judiciary.  Other sites, like Avvo.com, assign grades to lawyers and allow “clients” to leave comments about the legal services their lawyer provided.

When it comes to sports, officials have little recourse against their armchair critics and have no choice but to take the criticism in stride.  When judges and lawyers get involved, though, litigation invariably ensues.  Though it may just be our generation’s version of “word of mouth,” these sites raise a number of interesting questions about the legal profession, the internet, anonymity, defamation, and even safety.  If nothing else, they are a reminder that in the age of the internet, danger may be lurking around every URL.

As for poor official Ed Hochuli, if his NFL officiating career does not pan out, he can always fall back on his day job as…a lawyer.  After all, Avvo gives him a 7.5 out of 10.

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