Instant replay: It is better than it was

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Controversy has stemmed from the implementation of instant replay since it’s genesis. Whether the griping is the result of the elongation of games, or simply a botched call from the presumed “perfect system,” people are growing more outraged with every missed call.

The rationale is if we’re going to waste time reviewing calls, then you better get it right. However, that’s not been the case and there have been a couple of times when the command center in New York was wrong. Further, more calls have been deemed “too close to overturn,” hence evoking indignation from players and fans alike, causing convulse reaction depending on which team you are pulling for.

Despite instant replay’s imperfections, it is infinitely better than it once was. The difficulty of making instantaneous decisions with the error of the human eye is no longer an issue. The umpires are having less and less of an impact on the outcomes of the game, and instead, it is being put into the hands of the players as it should be. So this begs the question, why is so much hate being spewed by the masses towards this system?

Is it our society’s obsession exposing blemishes with change? Is it personal bias depending on if your team was the latest victim of replay’s malpractice? Or, is it plain laziness that you are vehemently against watching an extra five minutes of play?  It could be one or all, but all of these are petty excuses to not laud MLB for their efforts to get the call right and quell umpires from having an influence on the game.