“The most important subplot of Sunday’s Super Bowl is not Kurt Warner’s return to glory, Hines Ward’s ankle, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., or any other nonstory that has been feeding the ESPN frenzy. It’s the most important and oft-overlooked facet of the game: officiating, and so far this season it has been atrocious.”
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The most important subplot of Sunday’s Super Bowl is not Kurt Warner’s return to glory, Hines Ward’s ankle, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., or any other nonstory that has been feeding the ESPN frenzy.

It’s the most important and oft-overlooked facet of the game: officiating, and so far this season it has been atrocious.

Remember the infamous blown call(s) in the waning seconds of the Steelers/Chargers game on November 16? You know, the refereeing gaffe that caused the Steelers to miss the spread, costing bettors across the nation vast sums of money?

Remember the ruling in the Broncos/Chargers game on September 14 when a Jay Cutler fumble was incorrectly assessed as an incomplete pass? That mistake ultimately cost the Chargers a win. The culprit: Ed Hochuli, widely considered the most respected veteran official in the league.

Remember when an official gave St. Louis running back Kenneth Darby a forearm shiver to the chin on December 21? Yes, a referee tackled a player, completely unaided.

Even in last week’s NFC championship game, two calls, a would-be recovery by the Cardinals’ kickoff team and an important non-call of pass interference on the Eagles’ final drive, were besieged with controversy.

These and many other blown calls and honest mistakes in the 2008/2009 season have strained, if not broken, the public’s trust of officials in the NFL.

Most coaches and fans aren’t accusing officials of fixing games – yet. In light of the somewhat recent news of NBA referee Tim Donaghy fixing games in an alleged conspiracy, many sports fans have lost their na’ve notion of officiating. In Sunday’s championship, referees will undoubtedly have a smaller margin for error than players or coaches. With roughly 150 plays in an average NFL game, fans will look for any opportunity to throw the zebras to the wolves.

The squad assigned to call the Super Bowl is headed by veteran Terry McAulay, who Northeast Ohioans may remember as the man presiding over the infamous bottle-throwing game of December 17, 2001. His crew ruled that the Browns had not reached a first down even after the team had apparently run another play. Needless to say, the Dawg Pound didn’t appreciate it.

Perfection is impossible, you may reply. People make mistakes, right?

Yes, but referees are trained and paid to be a little more perfect than your average Joe football fan. It’s their job, and this year has been one of the worst in recent history in terms of blown calls.

How can the problem be fixed?

Here’s a start: pay the referees more than a janitor and make the occupation full-time, as it should be.

The NFL pays its officials an average of $27,000 per year, and most officials have second jobs. In contrast, NBA referees are paid an average of $128,000. NHL: $139,000. MLB: $141,000.

It’s time for America’s favorite professional sport to take the hint and start paying its officials proper compensation for the immense stress and quick decision-making that comes with the job.

Another problem is the cryptic and bloated official playbook (112 pages in the online version), which should be simplified and condensed.

Until then, officials will have to continue to try to prove themselves and win back the trust of a nation.

Only one thing is for sure: whatever the outcome of Sunday’s game happens to be, the referees will be doing their best to stay out of the sports columns.

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