Political Correctness in Sports has reached a new low...

Like millions of others, I watched the Superbowl this past Sunday, and even though I didn't have a dog in the fight, I was half-heartedly rooting for the Giants to win. Probably because they are the underdogs, and that's what we Americans do.

It was a pretty well called game and I don't expect perfection from referees who are just as human as I am, so I wasn't all that upset when at the 9:35 remaining mark of the fourth quarter, a pass interference foul by the Patriot's Moore went uncalled. The commentators took several looks at that play and it was pretty clear that Moore had grabbed Manningham's left shoulder with his left hand before the ball arrived, and he used that leverage to aid his reach over Manningham's right shoulder to break up the pass. It was clear enough that after the analysis one of the commentators referred to it as a "huge non-call". It was what happened later that made the issue interesting to me.

After the punt, fair catch and then a commercial break, the Patriots took over the ball on their own 8-yard line and started out with an incomplete pass on first down. THEN the commentators said, "Now, let's go back to that 'non-call'." I was literally amazed! I have watched many football games where there was something I'd have liked to see over that wasn't shown, but I can't recall any cases of going back to a play after an analysis via replay had been completed and everyone had moved on.

They proceeded to point out that the referees make their calls based on "real time" analysis of what goes on during the game, and to essentially completely reverse what they had said before the commercial break about it being a blown call. They completely ignored the fact that official review using slow motion and freeze-frame has been a part of the game for years now. They also completely ignored the fact that ONE OF THE COMMENTATORS HAD MADE THE PASS INTERFERENCE CALL OUT LOUD IN THE BOOTH WITHIN A SINGLE SECOND OF THE INITIAL PLAY, no instant replay required.

That they could ignore the reality of official review and the additional reality of one of them actually making the call in "real time" from the booth when it actually happened was enough for me be somewhat disgusted by the political correctness of it all. The simple fact was that the referee had blown the call - it happens - but they couldn't leave it there. They had to go back after the analysis had been concluded and, by ignoring all of the many facts to the contrary, justify the referee's lack of calling the penalty.

I am completely certain that someone during the commercial break told them that they had to undo the criticism of the referee implicit in pointing out the blown call.

I am also completely disgusted by that fact.