Sports officiating is certainly a thankless job.
So often a fan will hear “good call by the official” from broadcasters after a referee correctly calls a close play, but the praise just about ends there. More often than not, officials are the targets of blame for bad calls.
There are small instances, like a called third strike that was slightly off the plate, or a missed holding call on an offensive lineman. And then there are the big screwups, like Jim Joyce’s blown call that ruined Armando Gallarraga’s perfect game back in 2010.