Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob1968
I've understood that the use of the arc was instigated to increase scoring, because of declining scores, and consequently, fan interest, attendance and TV revenue . . .
Is it not the same reasoning as for the shot clock, the 3-point field goal, the tighter calling of hand-check contact, etc.
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Only in part.
Most, perhaps all of those are fan driven. And most are changes to the actual rules and the game to achieve higher scoring.
However, the hand-check rule (more precisely, that the contact currently defined as a hand-check) is a little different. It has been there all along and used to be enforced. Officials stopped calling it over the years in the name of letting them play but it led to an undesirable game. The rules makers renewed emphasis on calling it to clean up the game and get it back, in part, to where it once was where finesse, quickness, and skill were more valued than strength and physicality.
I think Mark's main objection is that the addition of the arc was done in a way that contradicts basic principles and other rules. The change could have been accomplished more cleanly. This is not unlike the team control on a throwin fiasco where they way they did it created a mess of related rules.