Bad call

A hockey referee
A soccer/football referee displaying a yellow card against a player

A "bad call" is an informal term used in sports to describe a referee decision, or "call", that is incorrect or perceived to be incorrect. Bad calls have been associated with all sports involving referees or judges.[1][2]

A bad call is made by a game referee when:

  1. An incorrect application of a game rule is made.
  2. An incorrect interpretation of a specific game event is made.
  3. An infraction of a game rule is unseen or ignored and the specific rule violation is left unaddressed.

Public outcry following a highly visible and questionable call might lead to a public clarification of existing rules or in rare instances, an actual change in rules.

Author Andrew Caruso notes that "Bad calls or bad breaks are part of every sport. That's life."[3]

"Bad call" is used outside of sports colloquially to quickly label a bad decision: "His promotion was a bad call.", "He took her to dinner with his mom; bad call."

  1. ^ Riper, Tom Van (26 September 2012). "You Cannot be serious, The Worst Calls In Sports History". Forbes. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Famous blown umpire calls in baseball's postseason". Sporting News. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. ^ Andrew Caruso (1 April 2005). Sports Psychology Basics. Reedswain Inc. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-59164-083-7.