Referees pay the price

Brian Harmon is one of the replacement referees

A pay dispute between the NFL and its referees has carried over into the regular season. BBC Sport Online's Kevin Asseo assesses the impact of replacement referees.

There will be many new names and faces on the field when the 2001 NFL season begins, and that is not a reference to the first-year players.

Embroiled in a bitter contract dispute with the referees' union, the NFL has locked out its entire crew of regular referees and hired 112 temporary replacements.

That means every referee on the field for the opening week of the regular season will be working in his very first official NFL game.

At this point, there is no solution other than continuing to use our alternate officiating crews

NFL spokesman
Greg Aiello

Unlike many labour disputes in American sport, this one is not especially complicated. It is almost entirely a money issue.

The referees want more than the league is willing to pay them and neither side seems willing to find an agreeable middle ground.

Negotiations are ongoing, but a settlement seems unlikely for at least the first several weeks of the season.

Greg Aiello, the NFL's spokesman regarding the lockout, said the time has passed for a swift and smooth resolution.

"We have tried very hard to get a deal," Aiello said.

"At this point, there is no solution other than continuing to use our alternate officiating crews."

The replacement referees come from a variety of backgrounds.

Some have worked at the highest levels of American college football, while others come from lower-level professional leagues.

All are, to some extent, experienced referees.

The replacements haven't seen the speed that is in pro football, and that is the thing they'll have to watch

Long-serving NFL ref
Red Cashion

The replacements had an opportunity to work in a few of the NFL's pre-season friendlies to acclimate themselves to their new setting.

Those games refereed by the replacements were largely without incident.

Still, the locked-out officials insist the replacements will have a hard time adjusting to the fast-paced play of the NFL.

"The people that haven't been out there before have to get used to the speed," said Red Cashion, a long-time NFL referee.

"They haven't seen the speed that is in pro football, and that is the thing they'll have to watch."

While there is sure to be a period of adjustment for the new officials, chances are good that their impact on the games will be minimal.

If the replacements work competently and without a high-profile blunder in the season's first several weeks, the regular referees could be facing a much longer lockout than they would like.

Full-time status

The NFL would have no reason to increase their offer, giving the referees' union the choice of giving in to the league demands entirely or sitting out the whole season.

It is difficult not to sympathise with the referees in this dispute.

Of the four major American pro sport leagues - football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey - pro football officials are the only group who are not full time employees of the league.

They are seeking full-time status and pay comparable to that of the other leagues' referees.

But the NFL, which makes millions upon millions of dollars in television revenue, is unwilling to make that commitment, choosing to instead risk the quality of its officiating.