The Ump's Not Blind (But He May Be Racist)

Major League Baseball umpires call more strikes when they share a race with the pitcher, and they call more balls when they don’t. The disturbing trend mostly benefits white players, since 71% of pitchers and 87% of umps are Caucasian, Time reports. Documented race-based misjudgments only occur in 1% of pitches, but that's enough to make a ballgame.

Inspired by a similar study of basketball referees this May, researchers in the new study contended their finding is more significant, as more close calls in baseball are made by just one official. They also said the racist margin could affect a pitcher, who might aim for the corners if he feels an advantage and play it safe if he feels calls won’t go his way. (More racism stories.)