You know the Rules have changed since 1958, don't you, Ref?

Players, Coaches & fans know ABOUT some of the Rules in basketball, but often do not really know the correct Rules......and THAT can cause problems when you're trying to referee a game.

Every year the Rules get tinkered around with. Some are minor procedural changes that the fans never hear about. Some are major Rule changes, like Hand Checking in High School Basketball recently. And all too often folks not intimately involved with the Rules, like Referees are, do not know about these Rule changes......until they see the Ref make a call they do not like or understand.

The other nite I was refereeing a Men's Rec League.

"PSUK Basketball - Bristol 2013-111" by Andrew Spillane via Flickr

A player, not liking that I had called a Violation he did not know was a new Rule Change, hollered at me, "You know the Rules have changed since 1958, don't you, Ref?

I thought that was a rather clever retort. After all, I am 63 years old. I know that, but I still move up and down the court pretty well and neither Alzheimer's Disease or Old Timer's Disease (I can never remember which one it is that I need to be worried about) has stricken me down, sidelined me or caused me to forget the Rules.

Amused tho I was with the comment, I "T'd" him up anyway for being disrespectful!