[dtengineering]

So my high school basketball team was playing in a game that would qualify us for the provincial championship. We were up by a point with seconds to go. Our center shoots the ball, misses, the other guys grab the rebound drive down the floor... the buzzer rings and their shot goes in. They win by a point. They go to the provincials.

Was it the fault of:

A) The ref for making a bad call?

B) The center for shooting when a possession game would guarantee a win?

C) The defense for not stopping their breakout?

D) Me for missing a foul shot (not to mention a few field goals) earlier in the game?

E) Our entire team for letting it get so close that it could be decided by one bad call?

F) The universe for not being fair?

I understand, you've got a good case. Why don't you talk to the FRC teams who were on Einstein when the field control system was interfered with and failed a few years back? I think they have a good case that a world championship title was unfairly interrupted. Maybe you want to talk to the English soccer team about the "Hand of God"? There's plenty of video evidence that Maradona actually comitted a foul rather than scoring a game deciding world cup elimination match. (It's an older reference but maybe a bit more significant on the world sporting scene than my high school basketball tournament experience!)

If you're looking for sympathy... well, I am sorry to hear that a mistake was made. I appreciate the frustration, but chances are the ref feels just as bad about making a bad call as you feel about the call being made. If it is any consolation, I'm pretty sure that my life has not been greatly damaged by what I truly believe was a monumentally incorrect call by a basketball referee over 25 years ago. I'm sure you'll get over this in time.

If you're looking to make the point that life is unfair... well, let's just hope that is the worst unfairness that life deals you.

Jason