The major problem with basketball is officiating . Poor officiating barely makes the game watchable. On the pro level, the officiating plus the rule changes make everything but the playoffs unwatchable.
In football, my hope is the top of off-season discussion is to eliminate the pick play. Clemson scored twice on it and it impossible to defend. It needs to go away before next season.
Baseball is nearly a perfect game, at all levels. 🙂
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman
"You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb
"Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.
I agree. Basketball is close to being a perfect sport, but it is impossible to officiate well and/or consistently, which is a serious flaw. The outcome of most close games is somewhat arbitrary. A large percentage of calls in basketball are questionable, larger than in any other sport I know of.
I'm not sure what can be done about pick plays. It's done all the time, and it's called less than 10% of the time. It's a main staple in many of the high powered offenses we see. When the QB rolls out, like the game winner last night, the WR can pretend to be run blocking on a run-pass option. I'm not sure how you call it.
Majerus nailed the problem with college refereeing: it penalizes the big guy.
The really big guys get called for fouls that shouldn't be called because they are big and people are falling over. Plus, they get hacked and and they're so big compared to the other guys on the court it barely impacts their motion, but it should be a foul nonetheless, and it is often missed because of that.
The other problem with bb refereeing: it penalizes the visiting team. Home filed advantage more pronounced in bb than any other sport, by far IMHO, in part because of refereeing. And in the pros, of course, the refs favor the stars. Finally, different conferences ref differently; what is is foul in one conference is a "let them play" in another. And one more finally: the game is reffed differently the final part of the game than the early part, and the playoffs differently from the regular season.
In other words, refereeing is a bigger factor in bb than any other sport, and the subjectivity and inconsistency hurts the sport.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
I disagree that the end of close games are random. The teams are where they are at game's end, and some teams are better equipped--with gamers or better coaching, motivation or xs and os--to win at the end. How often do we see a player finally start to hit his threes one after the other in the last two minutes. Over the course of as season or even a game the subjectivity of officiating evens out. Everyone is in the same boat. Probably the less that refs call the better. Maybe charge/block should just be a no-call every time unless the shooting arm gets hit.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
I love basketball for the drama. It was electric when Dillon Brooks hit the game winner against UCLA last week. But go back to that game and count how many calls were questionable. Probably 10-20 calls. In a one-score game, every one of those calls matter as much as Brooks' amazing clutch shot.
I don't know if this is true from a statistics point of view. Even if it is true, though, it's hardly satisfying.Over the course of as season or even a game the subjectivity of officiating evens out.
Now this makes sense! So many calls in basketball should be no-calls.Probably the less that refs call the better. Maybe charge/block should just be a no-call every time unless the shooting arm gets hit.
Basketball will always be a very hard game to officiate. I don't blame the officials (though I don't like them either). It's just a tough game to call.
Basketball is really the only game I know of where the best teams are the ones that are able to get the other team to break the rules the most. Getting the other team to foul is a fundamental part of winning basketball. That's a flaw in the game that would still be there even if God could justly officiate the game.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman
"You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb
"Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.
Bruce FeldmanVerified account@BruceFeldmanCFB 15m15 minutes agoMore
BREAKING After receiving revised notice from the NCAA, #OleMiss is self-imposing a one-year post-season ban for the 2017 CFB season.
I think Utah is the most underrated Power5 program in CFB.. Never realized just how physical & athletic they are till you see em in person.
Baylor just f'ing with the NCAA at this point.
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