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Referees have one of the toughest jobs in sports. If they are anything less than perfect, they are scrutinized. If they perform their job as well as they can, they are not noticed. In fact, the only attention they ever receive is negative (except during any interview with David Stern).

Despite the negative attention, rarely do referees and umpires become the focus of the sports world. Anytime refs are on the front page of the sports section, it’s not good news. For those who are supposed to go unnoticed and in the background to trump the sports they referee, it must be a unique circumstance. Whether it is game-changing calls, being the targets of violence or massive gambling allegations, these are the Top 10 Times Referees Trumped Sports and became the focus of the story, rather than the background.