# Do sports leagues benefit more from having refs favor the high-profile teams and players, or less? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** basketball-nba\ **Created:** [January 27, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sports-leagues-benefit-more-from-having-refs-favor-the-high-profile-teams-and-players-or-less/1013463 "2025-01-27T03:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sports-leagues-benefit-more-from-having-refs-favor-the-high-profile-teams-and-players-or-less/1013463/41 "2025-01-28T23:22:44Z")
To clarify, I meant _on the field!_ Though those commercials were pretty funny the first 50 or so times. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sports-leagues-benefit-more-from-having-refs-favor-the-high-profile-teams-and-players-or-less/1013463/42 "2025-01-28T23:28:02Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > > > Personally, I’m not a Chiefs fan, but I am not yet close to being tired of watching Patrick Mahomes. > > You must really enjoy ads for home and auto insurance. I quite enjoy those ads. Especially Andy Reid’s parts. He’s a big part of why I haven’t gotten tired of the Chiefs. He reminds me of my father, in both physical appearance (other than his height, my father was a short man) and in his mannerisms / personality (at least as portrayed in the commercials). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2025, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sports-leagues-benefit-more-from-having-refs-favor-the-high-profile-teams-and-players-or-less/1013463/43 "2025-01-29T03:07:24Z")
To defend @Velocity, I think the argument was that **if** the hypothetical in the OP was accurate (that officials are intentionally favoring one team over another to direct a certain result) that they are doing it wrong in the NFL by sending the same team to the championship repeatedly. I didn’t see it as an argument that they actually were doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Sooner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sooner/32/7875_2.png) [@Sooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sooner)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2025, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sports-leagues-benefit-more-from-having-refs-favor-the-high-profile-teams-and-players-or-less/1013463/44 "2025-01-29T03:37:46Z")
I have always been dubious, of this thought; but with one huge exception. Loved 80’s, 90’s NBA; and the Bull were my favorite Eastern conference team - anyone but the Celtics. But it was obvious Jordan, regularly got an extra step. Still baffles me, anyone says otherwise ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sports-leagues-benefit-more-from-having-refs-favor-the-high-profile-teams-and-players-or-less/1013463/45 "2025-01-29T12:41:37Z")
Microphones once caught Charles Barkley ranting at the refs as Jordan stepped to the free throw line after a call Charles thought should have gone the other way, “I know he Michael Jordan but he foul, too!” MJ, who was friends with Barkley, could not suppress his laughter at the outburst. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-sports-leagues-benefit-more-from-having-refs-favor-the-high-profile-teams-and-players-or-less/1013463.md?page=2)