I have already spoken with some parents of players regarding this and one of them (an attorney, of course), said that, since his son has to pay to play, if the game is shortened and he loses playing time because of it, he will sue!
He says this is not the same as a coach deciding whether or not to give a player playing time, since it takes playing time away from players not based on their ability or contribution to the team, but on some arbitrary point differential that penalizes a team not only for not being nearly as good as another team, but penalizes a player who really is good, since both teams lose playing time.
He suggests a mercy rule that would not result in running clock, but would eliminate back-court guarding and pressing once there is a certain point spread.
Although I'm not sure I buy his first point, I do support the "limited defense" mercy rule instead of running clock. If my experience in rec leagues is any indication, you will wind up with teams trying to "run the clock" on other teams, which is the exact opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve.
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Yom HaShoah
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