On football last night i seen the refs had black things on their hands what are they, and what do they do doe?

Question

they look kind of weird

Answer 1

They are to keep record of time wasted in injuries.

Answer 2

Those are "down counters". After a down (and administration of any penalties that may be involved) the crew moves the loop over the appropriate number of fingers to help them keep track of the down, one per down.

Answer 3

They're for keeping track of downs, timeouts, and other stuff like that.