Video cameras are used in college and professional athletic competition to confirm that the right calls are made on close plays.

I called a sports radio show some time ago and said I liked it better when human decision, right or wrong, determined the outcome of a play. I loved the drama of heated arguments between coaches and officials. Teams lived with bad calls and played through them. The host of the radio show said, “Every call has to be the correct call so that the game is won by the deserving team. They need to get it right.”

Let’s say a player fumbles the ball in a football game and the officials rule the Green team recovered. The coach of the Blue team can challenge the call by throwing a red flag onto the field. Then the video review takes place and once completed, the official will face the press box and make an announcement like this:

“The call on the field was the Green team recovered the ball. After further review, it’s been determined that the Blue team did recover the ball. First down, Blue Team.”

My silly imagination wondered what might happen if video review was used for nonsports activities. Here’s one for you.

“Billy, it’s your turn to take out the garbage,” said Mom.

“I took it out last night. It’s Joey’s turn,” said Billy.

“No, you didn’t,” said Joey. “I took it out last night.”

Billy reached into the kitchen drawer and threw a red challenge flag on the kitchen table. Mom took quick notice and announced, “Billy has challenged my call that it’s now his turn to take out the garbage. His claim is under further review.”

Mom pushed the rewind button on the video camera that was positioned in the corner at the kitchen ceiling. She stopped the tape on yesterday’s date and then replayed the video three times to determine if Billy or Joey took out the garbage. She called both boys to sit at the kitchen table where she stood in front of them.

“After further review, it has been confirmed that Billy did take out the garbage last night. Joey, it’s your turn now and since you lied there will be a penalty. You now have to take out the garbage for the next two weeks.”

How might a video review play out in a high school classroom? Johnny was accused of cheating on a major test that will determine if he passed his history class. Ms. Clark, his teacher, said he was looking over the shoulder of the girl who sat in the desk in front of him.

“You obviously were cheating,” said Ms. Clark. “I saw you leaning over and looking at Sara’s paper.”

“I was not!” shouted Johnny. “You can’t prove it.”

“You get a zero on the test and you have failed the course,” she said.

Suddenly, Johnny reached under his desk and picked up a red challenge flag and threw it on the floor. Following official policy, Ms. Clark walked him to Principal Wilson’s office where cameras were in place that monitored each classroom in the school.

“Johnny, you’ve been accused by Ms. Clark of cheating on the history test,” said Principal Wilson. “Her call will stand unless the replay shows there is enough evidence to overturn her ruling in your favor. If we determine you did cheat, you will receive a failing grade on the test and you will also fail the course. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” replied Johnny.

Ms. Clark and Principal Wilson began to watch the video replay in slow motion.

“There!” said Ms. Clark. ‘You see him lift up off his seat. He’s looking over Sara’s shoulder to see her paper.”

“We have to see where his eyes are pointing,” said Principal Wilson. He zoomed the camera in closer. “He just might be looking straight forward.”

“I was looking at the back of her head,” Johnny said. “She has beautiful hair.”

“Let’s see it again,” said Ms. Clark. They replayed the video. “Look! Doesn’t he lift his eyes right there over her shoulder?”

Johnny was so nervous, sweat was dripping off his nose. “I was trying to see the clock to find out how much time I had left to finish the test,” he pleaded.

The principal and the teacher watched the video three more times. During last review, Wilson paused the screen and zoomed so far into Johnny’s eyes that his pupils looked as big as baseballs.

“He could be looking at the clock, Ms. Clark, which is on the wall straight in front of him, but we cannot be certain of that.”

Finally, Principal Wilson, wearing a zebra-striped tie, moved in front of his desk to face Johnny who sat anxiously in front of him.

“After further review,” said Wilson, “it can be seen that you did lift your body off your seat to intentionally look ahead, but we cannot determine if your eyes were looking at anything other than Sara’s paper. There is not enough evidence to overturn Ms. Clark’s claim that you cheated on the test. The call in the classroom stands. Johnny, you have failed the test and the course.”

One might think that in a world where video cameras monitor everyone’s actions, people would always do the right thing in fear of consequential penalties. Yet the trade-off would be the sacrifice of privacy, which many believe has already been happening.

The day may come when we all will be under video reviews for our actions and behaviors. In that case, somebody had better start making a ton of those red challenge flags.

Rich Strack can be reached at richiesadie11@gmail.com.