On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti | Podcast Are robo-referees making sports more fair or less fun?
Oct 2, 2025
Joe Lemire, a senior writer at Sports Business Journal, and Pauline Eyre, a former Wimbledon line judge, dive into the rise of automated officiating in sports. They explore MLB's upcoming automated ball-strike system and the implications for players and fans. Pauline shares her insights on technology's impact in tennis, reflecting on how it has changed officiating. The discussion raises questions about trust in tech and whether eliminating human error undermines the drama that makes sports thrilling. Can fairness coexist with the fun?
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Human Umpires Are Very Good — Yet Flawed
- Umpires get balls and strikes right over 90% of the time, but that still yields many game-changing errors each night.
- Even a 95% accuracy rate produces dozens of wrong calls across a season that shape outcomes and fan trust.
Minor League Walk Reversed By Robo-Ump
- In a AAA game a full-count pitch was called a ball, the board showed it was a strike, and the call was reversed via earpiece to the umpire.
- The overturned walk removed a run and visibly relieved the pitcher, showing ABS's immediate game impact.
Protect Game Flow With Limited Challenges
- Limit reviews and optimize timing to preserve game flow; MLB plans two challenges and ~14-second average reviews.
- Use challenges sparingly and design protocols to avoid frequent frivolous stoppages.