JSM 2015

There’s a fun session at JSM 2015 on referee decision making in sports, held Wednesday at 10:30.

I’m presenting some new work on a sideline pressure in the NFL that appears to impact referee behavior. For defensive judgement penalties, including pass interference and aggressive calls like unsportsmanlike conduct and personal fouls, we find statistically and practically significant differences in the call rates based on which sideline the play occurred in front of. There are also significantly different rates in the rate of holding calls on outside run plays.

Here are my slides, and here’s a more technical paper. I encourage feedback!