The 50 Biggest Referee Fails in Sports History

Bad calls are the ones people remember.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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There is no group in sports more underappreciated than referees. It's their job not just to maintain control over the games, but to keep up with the best athletes in the entire world as they continue to grow bigger, faster, and stronger every year. It’s one of the most thankless professions to get into—although we hear the pay is pretty good—and subjects all those who choose to become a referee to copious amounts of emotional (and occasionally physical) abuse.

However, you know you’ve done something wrong as a referee when you become a part of the story. Whether it’s Jim Joyce robbing Armando Galarraga of a perfect game or Joey Crawford acting like a blusterous buffoon, referees often find their way into the limelight for the wrong reasons. Often their missteps can be innocuous, but sometimes they influence games, and even championships. While there are certainly many to choose from, these are the 50 Biggest Referee Fails in Sports History.

RELATED: The 50 Most Unsportsmanlike Acts in Sports History

50. The Tuck Rule

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49. The Ghost Goal

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48. In the Face!

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47. Nice Moves, Joey

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46. Maybe Don't Try Out for the Globetrotters

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45. World's Greatest Dive?

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44. Look Out Below

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43. Whose Feet was He Watching?

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42. Swing and a Miss

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41. Running Is Hard

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40. Puberty Sometimes Arrives Very Late

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39. No Love for Lampard

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38. Thanks for Not Listening

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37. Say What?

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36. Talk About Confusing...

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35. Sweet Throw, Bro

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34. Swat City

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33. Bottlegate

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32. Down Goes Frasier!

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31. Referee Beast Mode

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30. He Said What!?

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29. All Muscles, No Brains

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28. Taking it Like a Champ

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27. Get Bob a Stick and Some Skates

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26. Nice Aim

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25. Ball Boys: More Dangerous Than Strikers?

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24. The Refs Fight Back

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23. Keeper Truck Stick

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22. The Wide Left That Wasn't

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21. A Very Errant Throw

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20. The Pine Tar Incident

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19. The Bulls Get Robbed

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18. Seriously, Can You Count?

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17. Malice at the Palace

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16. He Must Have Had Miami...

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15. The "Hand of Frog"

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14. Poor, Poor America

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13. Phantom Pass Interference

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12. Wait, He Was Safe?

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11. Toeing the Line

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10. The Imperfect Game

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9. The Infield Fly Rule

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8. What Fan Interference?

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7. Fifth Down

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6. Who Says the NBA Isn't Fixed?

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5. The Hand of God

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4. An Olympic Robbery

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3. Swinging the Series

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2. The "Fail Mary"

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1. Gold Medal Screwjob

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