Whistles get swallowed with the game on the line. Is that right?
Baltimore Ravens' Corey Graham (24) and Jimmy Smith (22) break up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVII. Smith's coverage of Crabtree on the 49ers final offensive play of the game was ruled clean by the officials, provoking controversy.
One of the most established axioms in sports is that a game should not be decided by a referee's call.
The truth is, many games are. Not calling Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith for holding Michael Crabtree influenced the Ravens' 34-31 Super Bowl win over the 49ers as much as calling it would have done.
It is tempting to wonder if a flag would have been thrown, had the play occurred when the outcome was not hanging in the balance. The fourth-down play on the last 49ers drive should rekindle the debate of whether officials should be held accountable to make calls the same way on the final play as on the first, and whether that's what we really want.
A similar, infinitely less famous play occurred the day before the Super Bowl. On the final play of a game at Charlotte, University of Massachusetts guard Chaz Williams drove to the basket but was stripped of the ball.
The man guarding him said later that he fouled Williams. Nothing was called, and Charlotte's 66-65 win held up.
Did the ref simply miss the foul, or was this one of those moment-of-truth non-calls, the likes of which go unwhistled unless blood is spilled? It will be one of life's enduring mysteries.
Most of the time, a losing basketball team will reluctantly accept that a whistle is far less likely on a game-deciding play, especially for the road team. Coaches have been known to make play-calling decisions with this in mind.
Hockey penalties often go uncalled in the final minutes. Baseball is least affected, since the nature of the calls (ball or strike, safe or out, fair or foul) require either-or choices that differ from the choice of calling either something or nothing.
San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh felt Crabtree was impeded on two of the last three plays. But many, many sports people think calling a foul or a penalty on a game-deciding play is a bad way to settle the outcome, unless it is so blatant that it just can't be ignored.
My own view of the fourth-down play was to defend the non-call. I admit this might have been affected by my opinion that the 49ers had butchered the final series, capped by a risky and poorly-executed fourth-down pass thrown too high to be caught, and did not deserve to be let off the hook.
I know that is a totally illogical defense. I could poke holes in my own argument.
If the flag is thrown, the call probably winds up handing the Super Bowl to the 49ers. On the other hand, not throwing it handed the title to the Ravens.
Defending the non-call goes against the purist in me, which says every call should be made regardless of the score, time on the clock, significance of the game or which players are involved. That's why my favorite sports league is the NBA.
Only there can I be sure the officials treat every player and every situation with equal jurisprudence.
Gotcha.