Ranking the Replay Review Systems Used in Sports
Let’s just cut to the chase:
- Tennis
- Tennis
- Tennis
- Every Other Sport
There is no debate. The replay review system in tennis is top-notch and no sport is even close to the efficiency of this “In vs. Out” challenge process.
I know the fan base for tennis is much smaller than the four major American sports. But you’re lying if you don’t enjoy the process of the crowd starting a slow clap, the digital court popping onto the screen, and the ball’s shadow making its mark near the line in slow motion.
During this afternoon’s great Wimbledon semi-final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, there were some quality points that ended up being challenged. The difference between this and the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL was that there wasn’t a long delay paired with momentum simultaneously being sucked out of the stadium.
The 2018 NFL season saw an average replay review delay of 2:01. Of course, we have to give credit where it is due and show the transparency that it has gradually gone down each of the last few seasons.
I was all for Ed Hochuli flexing his guns and motioning for a first down parlayed with Gene Steratore pulling out an index card to see where the pigskin should exactly be. But these guys have unfortunately retired, and let’s be real, all people care about are whether or not their team is going to win, if they hit their bet, or win in fantasy.
Don’t get me wrong, the most important thing is getting the calls right. Facts are facts, though. The average length of an MLB game rose from 2:51 to 3:05 from 2007-2017, and replay was placed into the league during that window.
In basketball, teams are essentially gifted with free timeouts every time the officials head to the monitor. The NHL still can’t seem to get a universally well-liked system in place.
At least soccer has something going for them. Their replay system just won the Takie for 2019 Robot of the Year. VAR for life.