0 vs. 00

[bwburke94]

Originally Posted by bucky

Agreed however do you feel/react the same way if it was 1 vs 11?

Oh, not this argument again. It has nothing to do with the leading zero problem, except for the demonstration of a null value in the tens place.

Because 0 and 00 are different numbers in the rulebook but the same number mathematically, there's a bit of wiggle room as to how to handle the situation. (For the following notes, I will use an underscore to denote a null value in the tens place.)

• _1 and 01 are equivalent, and both correspond to the player wearing the actual number 1. If a player actually wears 01, that's a technical foul regardless of what they were listed as in the book.
  Neither _1 nor 01 is equivalent to 11. If a player is listed as _1 or 01, and actually wears 11, that's a technical foul.
  _0 and 00 are, by themselves, equivalent, and both correspond to the player wearing the actual number 0 or 00. However, if a team has both an _0 wearing 00 and an 01 wearing 1, or both an 00 wearing 0 and a _1 wearing 1, it's a bit trickier. If I see _0 and 01 (or 00 and _1) in the book, I would remind the coach that 0 and 00 are different numbers, but not consider it a technical foul.

As mentioned in my signature, I am not an official, but I've been on this forum long enough to know the relevant rules.