Are those closer to the ground better at spotting basketball game fouls? A new study found that shorter NBA referees call more fouls than taller ones. The Journal of Sports Economics studied more than 4,000 games and found that each additional inch of a referees height results in .017 fewer fouls per 48 minutes of a game. The shortest refs called 3.6 percent more fouls than the league average. The concluding theory is uncertain: either a shorter height offers a better vantage point, or a Napoleon complex impacts decisions.
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