Video replays often use slow motion to help referees assess fouls and penalties.

Slow motion changes the way people perceive crimes as well as fouls in sports.

Slow motion leads people to believe an action was intentional, resulting in stronger penalties.

In the US men's World Cup soccer match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a serious penalty was called on a US player by the video review official rather than the game official. And lots of people are calling foul about it.

Slow-Motion Video Reviews

Many sports now have video reviews. Given the variety of cameras covering each game, the officials can review a play from many angles. They can tell who touched the ball last before it went out of bounds. They can use these to help assess if a player is offsides. And they can use these to determine if a foul has been committed and how serious the foul was.

In the World Cup, video review is constant and live during the games. In addition to the officials on the field, there are Video Assistant Referees (VAR, it's called), who track the game live and communicate with the on-field referee. They give suggestions and can provide support if the on-field referee misses something critical.

They use a variety of camera angles and have access to slow motion. Unfortunately, slow motion may change the way they assess a foul.

Slow-Motion and Intentionality Assessment

Seeing things in slow motion is fascinating. There are amazing super-slow-motion videos of a........

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