I could be on the wrong side of this. I witnessed an official blow a game dead for the bench celebrating this last weekend. They were not on the court. They were not taunting the opponent. They were not talking to the official. They did not impede the movement of the official or the head coach in anyway. They were encouraging their teammates and celebrating good play. And when I say they, I mean the players only. Not a single assistant or adult was standing.
This really frustrates me. The guys that are on the bench could be whining and pouting, sitting there sullenly. This is exactly what we don't want. We want them in the game. We want them unselfishly cheering for their teammates. We want them to feel, no to BE, a part of the game and the team. Being on the bench is hard enough, but to have to behave like it is opera is against everything we should be teaching. Having them sit down, especially early in the game, is a joke.
Not only that but it was/is officiated completely unevenly. Some teams have their players stand all the time as if it were volleyball, knowing that the officials will get tired of calling it (although that was not the case in this particular game). In this same game, both benches stood up and cheered at appropriate times. Why was one bench warned? Why was any bench warned.
On a separate but related note, I think having the assistant coaches sit is a bit of nonsense too. While they don't need to be speaking to the official, or standing all of the time, them coaching from a standing position happens and why not? Again, if they get in the way of the players or officials, then it is an issue. If the argument is that assistants at the upper levels don't do this, then I am pretty sure you have not been watching high level college or NBA games.
Again, I could be on the wrong side of this and there are probably things I haven't considered. But it seems like there is more important things to officiate. I look forward to hearing what the rest of you notice and know about this subject.
This really frustrates me. The guys that are on the bench could be whining and pouting, sitting there sullenly. This is exactly what we don't want. We want them in the game. We want them unselfishly cheering for their teammates. We want them to feel, no to BE, a part of the game and the team. Being on the bench is hard enough, but to have to behave like it is opera is against everything we should be teaching. Having them sit down, especially early in the game, is a joke.
Not only that but it was/is officiated completely unevenly. Some teams have their players stand all the time as if it were volleyball, knowing that the officials will get tired of calling it (although that was not the case in this particular game). In this same game, both benches stood up and cheered at appropriate times. Why was one bench warned? Why was any bench warned.
On a separate but related note, I think having the assistant coaches sit is a bit of nonsense too. While they don't need to be speaking to the official, or standing all of the time, them coaching from a standing position happens and why not? Again, if they get in the way of the players or officials, then it is an issue. If the argument is that assistants at the upper levels don't do this, then I am pretty sure you have not been watching high level college or NBA games.
Again, I could be on the wrong side of this and there are probably things I haven't considered. But it seems like there is more important things to officiate. I look forward to hearing what the rest of you notice and know about this subject.
