On Wednesday, the New York Times reported on a study, released by Joseph Price of Cornell and Justin Wolfers of UPenn, that found institutional racism in NBA referees. The well-timed release of this report has caused every sports media outlet to discuss its results, with responses ranging widely.
The study finds white referees call slightly more fouls on black players and, to a smaller extent, white players take more whistles from black referees. The extent of the imbalance is estimated to be 2.5-4.5% on the whole. Also, players of the opposite race tend to get fewer fouls called on their defenders.
David Stern, NBA Commissioner, read the report a year ago in draft form and ordered the NBA to complete its own study with the highly-detailed data the NBA collects for referee review. The NBA found no sign of racism in its referees.
Considering the pedigree behind the report and the history of this country, it is unwise to dismiss the possibility of deeply-embedded racism. As the study is now submitted for rigorous peer review, here are questions the economics and sports experts should ask:
Wolfers and Price tried to manage many factors, including style of play. Clearly, slashers and drivers will get more fouls called for them than jump shooters. Also, aggressive defensive play will get more fouls called. The authors categorized players into playing styles by analyzing various statistics, massaged to rate statistics per 48 minutes. Does this work? Can we glance at a stat sheet and get a sense of a player type without knowing the player's name? It's possible, but the accuracy of those results should be considered carefully.
Defensive style changed during the years the study covers (1991-92 - 2003-04), starting with the introduction of the Pistons-style muggings embraced by the Knicks and other teams with minimal talent. Today, defensive charlatans throughout the league spend more time on their backs than facing their opponent. Flopping for charges and wiggling in front of the semi-circle under the basket creates an entirely different type of contact for officials to monitor. How do these changes affect the results, if at all?
Article comments
1 - The Haze
As ridiculous as this study is,the funny part is that the NBA is around 72% black,so,is the racism on the white refs making calls on black players(majority)or the black refs making calls on the white players(minority)? Things that make you go hhmmm.