Welcome, welcome all! Some of you may have ventured to this blog by choice; I say thank you, some of you may have come as friends out of sheer pity; thank you again, and some of you may have stumbled upon this little nugget after a night at the bar or club, and in your drunken stupor searching for porn or a different way of getting high found this instead. To you as well, I say thank you. Feel free to be disappointed that this is neither of those, but most importantly also feel free to continue reading. So again I appreciate all of you and without further ado, my first post.
I am a huge sports fan as you can tell by the title of this blog, and yes, some would consider me a junkie, because like a a drug addict I feel that I need sports (yes I realize I don’t, but why would I choose that?). And throughout my years of attending, watching, and participating in sports I can say without a doubt the most upset I get(outside of UK losing a basketball game) is when a charge is called during a basketball game.
This call, if made repeatedly throughout a game(which it always is) can truly ruin the game for me. Now, before you Bob Knight and Coach K followers bust a blood vessel and say things like; you are not tough unless you take charges, or it is a great part of the game, or it shows heart and more people should take charges, let me say this; Yes, I love offense and yes, if it were up to me, teams in college and the NBA would receive a loss if they did not reach 75 and 90 points respectively (Wizards, you would go winless this year). But I am a realist and notice the need for the charge call (something has to stop people who put their head down and go) so I shall offer a new, simpler way of calling the charge. But, first we must look at the reason the current system is flawed(so you don’t simply think this is an opinion piece of course).
Flaw 1: Most charges are called only if you fall to the ground
If you are being an unbiased person, you know this is true. How many times have you seen someone take a charge and not have to get up from their backside afterwards? Think about it, and if no time comes to mind, start looking for it in games, and also look for blocks being called if a player stands firm but does not fall (Doron Lamb in the 1st half against TN). This gets me thinking, why in a time when athletes are bigger, faster, and stronger than ever(no one will dispute that) are players constantly falling down? Are they not athletic/strong enough to stay on their feet? Or are coaches constantly telling their teams to fall, flail, and scream as if they have just been raped every time an opponent remotely hits them? I will choose the latter.
Flaw 2: Ref’s love to call the charge
Throughout my years of playing and watching basketball I have seen some referees that truly enjoy calling the game (that’s not a compliment). You have seen them too,(Ted Valentine comes to mind) they somehow do not seem to get the simple fact that no one payed to watch them. Sure 75% of referees get this, but the 25%, boy do they make up for the rest of them. The charge is their moment, that time when a collision has occurred and everyone in the gym is staring at them, waiting, they rarely disappoint. CHARGE!!! they will yell as that arm extends straight out while the other arm raises to the head. It is almost as if they believe their paycheck is directly linked to the number of charges they call. To quote the great Latrell Spreewell, “my family’s gotta eat!!” Well Latrell, if calling charges makes a referee more money, families ain’t going hungry.*
*Yes, flaw 2 is nearly a complete tangent, but it needed to be said.
Flaw 3: The Flop
Dictionary Definition
Flop: verb; to fall, move, or hang in a heavy, loose, and ungainly way.
Let us focus on ungainly, which is an adjective for awkward or clumsy. Now, if what I said earlier in flaw number 1 is true about athletes today being more athletic than ever, why would a word meaning awkward or clumsy be used to decide something they just did? It should not, but they do it anyway. Players flop and referees reward said player for flopping. It is a disgusting habit and something that should not go unnoticed. The game of basketball and its fans deserve better. The best form of floppery(yes, I know this isn’t a real word) is when a 6’2 170 pound guard spins in to or drives to the hole and a 6’10 260 pound monster steps over, contact occurs, and the big man falls like a ton of bricks (I’m looking at you Louis Scola). Flaw 2 runs in and yells: CHARGE!!!!!! This same situation can happen in reverse when a 5’11 guard playing help defense slides under (literally) a 6’9 freak about to rip the rim off the goal and falls backwards to the floor whether contact occurs or not. Here comes flaw 2 again running in to make the charge call. What just happened? Not much other than fans being stripped of pure excitement, the play of the game, or simply the sole reason they came to the game...to be entertained.
For your viewing pleasure, this youtube clip is provided to further drive home the villainous/disrespectful nature of a flop.
Flaw 4: Definition of the rule itself is.....wordy at best
Whether you are a fan of the charge or a detractor we can all agree that the charge/block call is the most ambiguous, most controversial, and most inaccurately call made in basketball. The inconsistency of this call and the quickness with which a referee must decide, make this call beyond infuriating for players, coaches, and the people who pay to watch; fans. To show you just how confusing this rule can be, I used the google machine and looked up the definition of a charge. I stumbled upon the word for word definition for charge by NBA standards. Take a look for yourself and decide if it is just ; slightly wordy.
I think it goes without saying, that could be clearer.
The Fix
As an observer of the game (college especially) it seems as if there is a collective agreement among officials that everything is a charge whether it is the right call or not. Defenders are constantly still moving and sliding under(literally) offensive players who have left their feet to complete a pass or shot. It has come to the point where I have seen players pull up for horrible 7 foot floaters because 3 defensive players have lined up under the goal prepared to lay down at the first hint of contact (there is nothing tough about that).
Finally, with all of this complaining and anger I think back to what my mother has always told me, “Don’t complain unless you have a better way of doing it.” Well mom, NCAA, and NBA, I do have a better way of doing it. The 14 paragraphs above to describe the NBA charge rule can be condensed into two simple statements and used for college as well.
- No defensive player may draw a charge if offensive player has left the air.
- Only the on ball defender can draw a charge.
Wow, that was simple. All of mine, yours, and most importantly the games problems have been solved.
Thank you for reading my first post, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did not, well, thank you for reading anyway, and please visit again soon.
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