Would stomping on steel bleachers be considered using an artificial noise maker? Happened at a high school varsity s game. The other coach was complaining loudly about it but the refs didn't seem to mind. What about banging on the wall. Does that count too?

The concept of using artificial noisemakers really applies to players, coaches, etc. It is very difficult (and perhaps fruitless to attempt to control that type of behavior by the fans. My gut tells me to just play on. If it becomes so onerous (such as if it becomes impossible to hear the whistle) then game management needs to deal with the situation. According to the rules, a T can be charged to the home team which is responsible for the behavior of the fans, but this is rarely an action that should be taken. Generally it just makes the situation more volatile and encourages more problems with the crowd.

No, that is not the intent of the rule.
 

It could if you really wanted it to. But this rule is only about 2 years old and they were banging on bleachers since I was a kid. This is not why the rule was changed. The rule was changed because of the cell phones, megaphones, slap sticks, rocks in the milk carton type objects that were being used by fans. And they wanted to create the rule to prevent bands from playing during play, which was happening much more.

It would not be common sense to penalize a team for making noice in which the gym provides.

Peace

The usage of articial noisemakers mainly applies to a team's supporters, not the players coaches,etc. You do NOT automatically charge a T to the home team. The home game management is responsible for the behavior of the fans, and is supposed to deal with the situation. But if a T must be called though, it is charged to the team's supporters that are still using the noisemakers after being warned not to. I really don't think that it would be very smart to warn the visiting fans, and then T up the home team if they persisted in using noisemakers. :D Casebook play 1.18 details the procedure to use.

I had a game last year where this happened. However, the kids were banging plastic pop bottles on the wooden bleachers. I notified game management that they could do all the banging they wanted on the bleachers with their hands and feet, but not with the pop bottles. Didn't have a problem the rest of the night.

I feel it's best to deal with artificial noisemakers as quietly as possible.

This happened in a boy's varsity game (private school) Saturday night. Really good, competitive game and the visiting fans were banging pots together. One guy had a bull horn - first time I have seen one of those at a game. The R asked game management to tell them to knock it off and they did. They stomped the metal bleachers all game. We had no problem with the bleachers, but did have a problem with the pot banging and bull horn. BTW, home was up by 9 at half, down by 4 with about a minute and a half to go, and won by 3.

I had a situation last year.

First call of the game for me, a fan sitting directly behind A's coach who was obviously cheering for them, starts mouthing off loudly about my call. I ask the coach, is he an assistant or a fan? He asks "why"? I said, if he's an assistant, you need to control him. If he's a fan, I'll get him controlled.

Coach says, "I don't know this guy". Fan moves up the bleachers to the top row. I go to school officials and inform them of the situation. Fan sees this and comes down and oppologizes. Not another word the rest of the game.

Did I handle this correctly?