Pictured waving his fist at feisty fans, Robo Ref was the brainchild of entrepreneur Elon Musk who was the founder and CEO of Space X and Tesla motors.
With a net worth of 245 billion in 2022, Musk had all the resources needed to create an exemplary referee who operated solely on artificial intelligence.
And operate it did. With painstaking detail, Robo Ref’s inner workings were patterned after the common courtesies found in Judith Martin newspaper columns (Miss Manners), along with a quote from Jim Horning “Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.”
However, there would be no bad judgment. At least theoretically, there was to be nothing but perfection. Whether it was those tough back of the end zone calls or fourth and short quarterback sneaks, Robo Ref would always get it right.
Season one: 33 critical calls/zero mistakes
Season two: 47 critical calls/zero mistakes
Season three: 43 critical calls/zero mistakes
Season four: 55 critical calls/ten mistakes
Following an unacceptable fourth season, with ten mistakes, Musk decided to sell Robo Ref and channel his energy into the Space X program. This left fans with two choices: an empty stadium, or perhaps, Mars.
With a net worth of 245 billion in 2022, Musk had all the resources needed to create an exemplary referee who operated solely on artificial intelligence.
And operate it did. With painstaking detail, Robo Ref’s inner workings were patterned after the common courtesies found in Judith Martin newspaper columns (Miss Manners), along with a quote from Jim Horning “Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.”
However, there would be no bad judgment. At least theoretically, there was to be nothing but perfection. Whether it was those tough back of the end zone calls or fourth and short quarterback sneaks, Robo Ref would always get it right.
Season one: 33 critical calls/zero mistakes
Season two: 47 critical calls/zero mistakes
Season three: 43 critical calls/zero mistakes
Season four: 55 critical calls/ten mistakes
Following an unacceptable fourth season, with ten mistakes, Musk decided to sell Robo Ref and channel his energy into the Space X program. This left fans with two choices: an empty stadium, or perhaps, Mars.
