Difficulty
Basketball is regarded as among the most difficult sports to officiate. Usually basketball officials have only a brief moment to determine if an infraction has occurred, due to the speed of play of the game and the officials proximity to the action. Especially difficult is the "charge/block" call as to which player is responsible for contact.
Despite the misconception that basketball is a non-contact sport, officials often let a large amount of marginal or incidental contact pass uncalled. An official must always be wary of not just what is happening around the ball, but the roughness of play going on around the whole court, adding to the job of the official.
Further complicating the job of an official is the proximity to the crowds. Unlike football or baseball, the crowd is nearly always located within a few feet of the official, as are coaches and other players on the bench. To combat this, officials are able to remove fans from the arena with an ejection.
Read more about this topic: Official (basketball)
Famous quotes containing the word difficulty:
“The more difficulty there is in creating good men, the more they are used when they come.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I am continually fascinated at the difficulty intelligent people have in distinguishing what is controversial from what is merely offensive.”
—Nora Ephron (b. 1941)
“There never seems to be any difficulty in stretching the laws and the constitution to fit any kind of a political deal, but when it is proposed to make some concession to women they loom up like an unscalable wall.”
—Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)