Exploring Referee Bias in Basketball: A Case Study of the Chinese Basketball Association

Research on basketball referee bias from 1977 forward is examined in this paper. With an eye toward issues including home-court advantage, score disparities, foul discrepancies, and the treatment of star players, this study examines the development of the field into specific research phases. This study looks at bias in Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) officiating of basketball. Referencing CBA games from 2021 to 2023, a quantitative study found that geographic affiliations and referee roles—chief referees versus assistant referees—have an impact on decisions. The results show that even if regional officials are more likely to support local teams, chief referees influence discretionary decisions. Future studies aiming at improving the knowledge of officiating should look at referee bias using advanced quantitative and analytical approaches. It will help one to understand the performance.