The Changing Game of Baseball
Instant replay has long been used in the world of sports. Controversial calls exist in just about every sporting event that happens, and the demand to be able to reverse them was overwhelming. This is where instant replay comes into play. The referees or officials take a look at the play that is under review using a replay television, as you can see in the image, and deem whether the correct call was made or not. If it was not correctly called, then the play is overturned. Until very recently, this had not been a part of baseball at all. Then, in 2008, Major League baseball instituted instant replay to be used in games to reverse some calls. The use of replay is very limited, though. The only thing that could be reviewed was a homerun ball. The instant replay system could only be used to see if the ball that was hit cleared the top of the fence or not. Even though instant replay could only be used for this type of play, this was a big step in the game of baseball.
Upcoming in 2012, new changes are coming to the instant replay system. The spectrum of plays that instant replay can be used to view is expanding, meaning that human error is becoming an even smaller part of the game. In 2012, the umpires will be able to use instant replay to see if a ball hit was fair or foul, essentially giving a hit to a player or taking a hit away from them. Also, it will be used to see if a ball was actually caught in the outfield or if it was trapped between the glove and the ground. These types of calls have influenced a lot of games, and quite frankly probably have changed the outcomes of games, so instant replay will make the game more accurate.
I, on the other hand, am not a fan of instant replay in the game of baseball. When I was playing, it was an amenity to have televisions at all, and now they’re being used in baseball? To me, baseball is a great game because it relies on human beings to make everything happen. The umpires make the calls, and yes, sometimes they make the wrong ones, but that is part of the game. Human error is a part of baseball, and to take that away from it is to take away from the game I love and have loved since I was a kid. I say no to instant replay, but I really have no say anyway. It’s just a shame to see a game changing from its former glory to what it is today.
