The Stepback with Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin once refereed a game at his own youth basketball camp, and a group of eight-year-olds let him have it. In this episode of The Stepback, he takes a look at one of the toughest and least appreciated jobs in sports, and how technology is changing what it means to be a referee. Blake breaks down how few referee prospects actually make it, with the NBA scouting more than 3,000 in 2022 and the G League hiring just 13. He gets into how the NBA's Last Two Minute Reports track every call and non-call, why Fred VanVleet got fined $30,000 for calling out a ref, and how instant review can become a crutch that slows down the end of close games. He also covers Hawk-Eye in the NBA and NFL and Major League Baseball's new automated ball-strike challenge system. In the end, Blake makes the case for keeping the human element in officiating.