CALLING MORE FOULS IN PRO BASKETBALL. Steve Kerr, announcing a recent preseason professional game, commented that refereeing is an art—perhaps 400 fouls could be called in a game and the referee has to use judgment on which ones to call. My view is that, to the extent possible, referees should not be burdened with discretion. Discretion puts a referee in an impossible position. To the extent that a foul would be called differently by players, fans or other referees who apply a different standard, criticism is inevitable. The half circle under the basket for charging/blocking calls took away discretion and was a step forward.
There is an emphasis in professional basketball this year on calling moving screens. There are a lot more such calls in the first games this year. Bravo! Referees will have to decide less often how much movement is OK. This is a good example of something that the players should be able to adjust to as the year goes on.
It’s a marvel so many plays are seen accurately. Everything happens so fast.
But there IS instant replay now.
However, there are plays in which there is HIGH visibility, and the referees
seem to be making an astonishing mess out of reviewing and reviewing.
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