Big 12 embraces officiating transparency

Usually, the NFL hopes to provide trickle-down leadership when it comes to football innovation. A significant officiating innovation hopefully will trickle up to the NFL.

>Via Sports Business Journal, the Big 12 will create a new replay operations center to provide live audio feeds for replay reviews during broadcasts of conference games.

>The Big 12 becomes the second major conference to provide replay audio to the TV audience, joining the ACC.

>The UFL has created the gold standard when it comes to transparency, with replay audio, communications between the officiating control center and on-field officials, and at least one in-game interview of a game official.

>The NFL is lagging. As more lesser conferences and leagues embrace transparency in officiating, it will only become more glaring.