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Old Tue Jan 24, 2006, 10:55am
BayStateRef BayStateRef is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Boston area
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There is plenty of support in the rules to make sure the benches are truly equal. Rule 2-13-1 only gives game management the right to designate the location of each team's bench area.

I suggest you look at "The Intent and Purpose of the Rules" to say you do have authority to make sure it is a fair and equal contest. The language here includes "to create an atmosphere of sporting behavior and fair play." Further it instructs "it is important to know the intent and purpose of a rule so that it may be intelligently applied." And lastly, "A player or team may not be permitted an advantage which is not intended by rule."

If you determine there is an "advantage" to one team having chairs close to the court and the other having to use bleachers 8 feet away, then you have full support from the rules to make the home team put out chairs for the visitors or put its chairs away and use the bleachers. If the home team provides itself fancy padded chairs and the visitors with hard metal chairs, then I do not see an advantage. But there clearly is a significant difference here and I say the rules give you full authority to make it equal.