Referee Bill Vinovich #52 makes a call in the NFC Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

With Super Bowl LIII slated for this Sunday, players, coaches and sponsors are set for a big pay day. Last year, the winners of the Super Bowl took home $112,000 apiece, while their opponents earned $56,000. But while the players may be the main attraction of the big game, this year the referees have also been getting some attention. During the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, fans became outraged over the referees' decision not to call pass interference on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman after he hit Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis early. With the score tied and less than two minutes remaining, many believe that the Saints would have advanced to the Super Bowl to play the Patriots had the refs made the call against Robey-Coleman.

The controversy has sparked new interest in how referees are selected, trained and compensated. According to the NFL's website, the organization employs 121 officials who are evaluated by the NFL's Officiating Department each week. The organization reports that each game averages around 155 plays and game officials are typically accurate between 95 and 97 percent of calls.