Instant replay

For the album by The Monkees, see Instant Replay (Monkees). For the album and song by Dan Hartman, see that article.

Instant replay refers to a system where plays in a sporting match can be reviewed (or replayed) using recorded video feeds of the sporting match in order to ensure that the correct call is made on the play.

Instant replay is used in many pro-sports league's including the National Hockey League, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. It made its debut on December 7, 1963, during an Army/Navy football game.

Starting with the 2005 season, the National Collegiate Athletic Association allowed the use of instant replay for all Division I-A football conferences, just a year after the Big Ten Conference experimented with replay. The Canadian Football League will also use instant replay starting in 2006.

American football

National Football League

The National Football League (NFL) adopted an Instant Replay system in 1999, bringing in the opportunity to "challenge" on-field calls of plays. Each coach can challenge a game official's call, and ask the referee to review the television instant replay, twice per game.

A challenge can only be made on certain reviewable calls before the two minute warning in each half when the team has at least one time-out remaining in the half. When a coach decides to challenge a call, he throws a red flag onto the field, indicating the challenge to the referees. The referee has 90 seconds to watch the instant replay of the play and to decide if the original call was correct. The referee must see "indisputable visual evidence" for a call to be overturned. If the challenge fails, the original ruling stands and the challenging team is charged with a timeout. If the challenge overrules the previous call, the call is reversed with no loss of a timeout. Prior to the 2004 NFL season, the instant replay rule was slightly changed to allow a third challenge if both of the original two challenges were successful.

After the 2-minute warning of each half, and in overtime, reviews can only take place if the replay assistant, who sits in the press box and monitors the network broadcast of the game, determines that a play needs review. In those cases, the replay assistant will contact the referee by a specialized electronic pager with a vibrating alert.

The NFL replay system currently only covers the following situations:

Scoring plays
Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted
Runner/receiver out of bounds
Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds
Touching of a forward pass, either by an ineligible receiver or a defensive player
Quarterback pass or fumble
Illegal forward pass
Forward or backward pass
Runner ruled not down by contact
Forward progress in regard to a first down
Touching of a kick
Other plays involving placement of the football

The replay system replaced a system used during the 1986-87 and 1991-92 seasons where a procedure similar to college football's was used. This is still used in the NFL today. While there is some controversy over the appropriateness of some overturned calls, the system is generally accepted as an effective way to ensure a fair game.

College football

In the 2004 football season, instant replay reviews were used experimentally in the Big Ten Conference only. For the 2005 season, all conferences were allowed to use instant replay. The NCAA established the guidelines for which types of plays were reviewable. Each conference can then establish their own systems for conducting replay.

The NCAA mandated that penalties (e.g., holding, offside, pass interference) are not reviewable. Plays involving the sideline, goal line, end zone and end line, as well as other detectable situations, are reviewable (e.g., fumble/no fumble, pass complete/incomplete, touchdown/no touchdown, runner down/not down, clock adjustments).

Most conferences are following the Big Ten's 2004 system. In this system coaches cannot challenge calls; instead, a technical advisor (usually a former college, NFL or XFL official) reviews the play from a replay booth and alerts the referees on the field that he is reviewing the play. The technical advisor decides if the call should be overturned. This is the system used for the 2005 season by the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East, Big 12, Mid-American Conference, Pac-10, and the Southeastern Conference. The Big 12 provides field monitors which allow the on-field referee to assist the replay official; however, the replay official still makes the final decision.

Conference USA uses a similar system, but the on-field referee actually makes the decision. A field monitor allows the referee to look at the play.

The Mountain West Conference provides for coaches challenges. Each coach is allowed one challenge per half. If the call is overturned, the coach who challenged the call gets a second challenge for that half. If not, the challenging team loses a timeout. No more than two challenges are allowed per half by each coach. The review itself is handled similarly to the Big Ten; a replay official looks at the play and decides if the call should be overturned. The replay official can also review plays himself; a coach's challenge is not necessary to overturn a call.

The Big Ten, MAC, and SEC only allow broadcast video (for games that are televised) to be used to determine the correct call. The other conferences allow broadcast video and scoreboard video. Most conference provide video equipment for games that are not televised. The conferences make arrangements for video equipment for non-televised conference games. All intraconference games use instant replay. For non-conference games, the visiting team can decide if replay should be used. This provision proved to be highly controversial in USC's victory over Notre Dame on October 15, 2005, as USC coach Pete Carroll opted not to use replay, despite the presence of a Pac-10 officiating crew.

The Sun Belt and Western Athletic conferences are not using replay in 2005 but both plan on using it for 2006.

The NCAA also approved the use of replay review for all 28 bowl games for the 2005 season, as well as the Division I-AA, Division II and Division III national championship playoff games.

Canadian football

The Canadian Football League board of governors has approved the use of instant replay starting in the 2006 CFL season. ^* The CFL system seems to be modelled largely on the NFL's, although some differences have been incorporated to accommodate differences between the two codes:

CFL teams will be allowed two challenges per game - there is no provision for a third challenge.
Since CFL teams are only allowed one time out per half (as opposed to three in the NFL), the first challenge will have no effect on time outs whether successful or not. Only if the second challenge is unsuccessful will the time out be charged.
Teams cannot challenge in the final three minutes of the second half or in overtime, however a replay official may initiate a review during these times (the CFL uses a three minute warning, not the two minute warning used in the NFL).

Basketball

In NBA basketball, the officials must watch an instant replay of a buzzer beater to determine if the shot was released before time expired.

In college basketball, the same procedure may also be used to determine if a field goal is two or three points, who is to take the free throw, or if the shot was made before the expiration of the shot clock. Such rules have also required the NCAA to write new rules stating the zeroes on the clock, not the horn, now determine the end of the game.

In Italy, host broadcaster Sky agreed with LEGA A for the adoption of instant replay for special tournaments and playoff games, and in 2005, for the entire season. Instant replay would be used automatically on situations similar to the NCAA, but coaches may, like the NFL, have one coach's challenge to challenge a two or three point shot, officials may determine who last touched the ball in an out-of-bounds situation, or back-court violations.

The adoption of instant replay would be crucial in the 2005 LEGA A championship between Armani Jeans Milano and Climamio Bologna. Bologna led the best-of-five series, 2-1, with Game 4 in Milan, and the home team leading 65-64, as Climanio Bologna's Ruben Douglas connected on a three-point basket at the end of the game to apparently win the LEGA A championship.

Officials, knowing the 12,000 fans on both sides would learn the fate of the series on their call, watched replays of the shot before determining it was valid.

The ULEB will adopt instant replay for the 2006 Euroleague Final Four and made a rule change determining the lights on the backboard, not the horn, will end a period, thus assisting with instant replay.^*

On April 6, 2006, FIBA announced instant replay for last-second shots would be legal for their competitions.

"The referee may use technical equipment to determine on a last shot made at the end of each period or extra period, whether the ball has or has not left the player's hand(s) within the playing time."

http://www.fiba.com/pages/en/news/latest_news_article.asp?cookietest=done&r_act_news=12003&r_cat=142

Ice hockey

In the National Hockey League, goals may only be reviewed in the following situations:

puck crossing the goal line completely,
puck in the net prior to end of period,
puck in the net prior to goal frame being dislodged,
puck being directed into the net by hand or foot,
puck in the net after deflecting directly off an official,
puck deflected into the goal by the high stick by an attacking player.

The review may only be initiated by the on-ice referees or by the video replay judge; neither team can initiate a review.

In the 2006 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament, all goals scored were automatically reviewed to ensure they were legitamate.

Tennis

In tennis, technologies such as MacCAM and Hawk-Eye are used to replay close or controversial line calls during network broadcasts of the game, although Hawk-Eye replays are 3D renderings and not actual footage. Starting in 2006, the USTA began using Hawk-Eye to allow players to challenge close calls in some professional matches, starting with the NASDAQ-100 Open. Players are allowed two incorrect challenges per set, and one for a tiebreak. This technology will make its Grand Slam debut in the 2006 US Open.

Rugby

Instant replay has been widespread in rugby for many years, especially Rugby League. Replay calls can vary from the correct grounding of a ball at a try or to decide whether or not a player is onside before they catch the ball, when they score. The decision is made by video replay referee, who takes his place in the stand of the host team. He either tells the pitch referee by radio link-up or by the use of a big screen during televised matches. Unlike in the NFL, a coach cannot challenge a call made by the pitch referee.

Cricket

Cricket also uses instant replay. It is used in the areas of run outs, stumpings, doubtful catches and whether or not the ball has crossed the boundary for a six or short for a four.

Other sports

Instant replay has made inroads into other major sports, although it is not used in official capacities for the most part.

NASCAR has instant replay rules for use in to determine if a car had crossed the pit entrance before the pit was closed for a yellow flag, and to determine final race positions when a race ends with a caution because the flag waved on the final lap, or when the flag waves during the final two-lap sprint.

Instant replay has been used at least once in a high school quiz bowl game. During a round of 16 playoff game at a tournament at Michigan State University in 2003, Rufus King High School (WI) needed to score 30 points on the final bonus to defeat Corunna High School (MI). After correctly answering the first two questions, the moderator prompted for the answer on the third question. Rufus King's captain gave the correct answer and was awarded the win but Corunna protested that the moderator had allowed more than a natural pause. The Tournament Director, who was moderating a game in another room, was summoned to the room where he noticed that a parent of one of the players had used a video camera to record the game. He viewed the disputed answer and determined that it should have been disallowed, giving Corunna the win by five points.

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