[Adam]

Originally Posted by Altor

The more I thought about this thread, I started thinking this more and more. If the teams have championships coming up, they need to not do and say things that could get them suspended.

I've also thought about this over the years. Most (all?) states have some mandatory suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct. But, how many officials are hesitant to call conduct unsporting because it "didn't rise to the level that warrants a suspension." Sometimes I wonder if we would call things more often if there wasn't an automatic penalty beyond the contest that we are assigned to.

Somebody the other day pointed to NBA officials not being afraid to call technicals or even ejections for unsporting behavior. They know that if the conduct deserves additional penalties, the league will fine or suspend the players involved. Their job is to take care of the game in front of them, not worry about other ramifications.

They also know if they fail to take care of business, they'll lose their jobs.