Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
MA Ref:
Does the Mass. mandatory mouth guard rule make this kind of action harder to officiate?
MTD, Sr.
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Mouth guard isn't mandatory anymore (thankfully). It was changed to just being "recommended" to teams after only 1 or 2 seasons. Since they dropped it, my experience is that most kids don't wear them anymore. They weren't used to wearing them and, in some cases they found it difficult to breathe, and point guards bringing the ball up the court called out plays that sounded all garbled. I can't tell you how many times I saw one dropped on the floor, and since they couldn't play without it, kids just pick it up and put it back in their mouth.
But back to your point, when they were required, most kids took them out to speak, which made our job easier when it comes to listening for unsportsmanlike conduct. No point in trash-talking your opponent when they can't understand you...