Since the beginning of organized sports, no doubt, the need for an impartial party has probably been apparent. While being a referee has not always been a professional thing, many members of this important body are now make their living by being unswervingly neutral.

And while many of these judges do an admirable job, there are also those who cause headaches, heartbreak, and the occasional head-scratching experience to fans across the globe. Here then, in brief, is a ranking of the best and worst professional sports officials, complete with a description of their merits or maladies.

The Best

#1: MLB Officials
Though much maligned in recent days (thanks to MLB’s current deficiency in the Instant Replay department), these guys are some of the most accurate and respected mediators on the planet. While the strike zone can sometimes be a relative thing, consider the task of being a major league umpire behind home plate. You must stand, hunched over the catcher, for an entire baseball game. You must follow a tiny sphere which speeds, diving and dipping toward the plate at up to 100 mph. If you’re covering the bases, you must practically stick you nose between a runner and the fielder trying to record an out. And yet, with all these difficulties, these men manage to make the correct call over 99% of the time. Hats off to you, gentlemen.

#2: NFL Officials
These guys have one of the toughest jobs in the entire world of sports. They must weave their way through testosterone pumping behemoths, intent on smashing the brains out of one another. The must be aware at every moment, all of the time, watching every movement of every player’s body over the course of a play in progress. Though not always as accurate as MLB refs, these guys get the correct call more often than not. And, in the case of a blown read, they can always fall back on instant replay.

The Worst:

#1: NBA Officials
Being a basketball ref should not be nearly as hard as some of these dudes make it look. Besides their questionable calls, it’s clear that NBA officials, in general, are apt to give gift calls to the biggest stars on any given team. This very notion is ridiculous, as it defeats the equal-opportunity philosophy of American athletics. Not to mention rumors of corruption and other shady business. I wouldn’t trust any one of them with my wallet.

#2: Soccer Officials
Again, not a tough of a job as they make it look. Now, I’m not talking about the physical conditioning aspect. That’s fairly impressive. Just the fact that, more and more recently, we’re seeing blown calls affecting the outcome of games.

Honorable Mention: Pro Wrestling Refs
This doesn’t really count, since pro wrestling isn’t a sport. But man, these guys couldn’t take a punch from a two year old. A flick on the nose from any given competitor will send them to the mat, crumpled in a useless heap for three minutes while the bad guy perpetrates all manner of cheating.

- Taylor Maxwell

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tags | bad judges, bad refs, judges, list of bad refs, list of bad sports refs, referres, refs, worst refs