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:
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—John Berger (b. 1926)
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—Benjamin Haydon (1786–1846)
“Men were only made into “men” with great difficulty even in primitive society: the male is not naturally “a man” any more than the woman. He has to be propped up into that position with some ingenuity, and is always likely to collapse.”
—Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)