I was working a girls sub-varsity game the other night, and I did notice the yearbook staff taking some pictures, with a flash. During halftime a player from the visiting team asked me if I could prevent the use of the flash it was distracting them. To make a long story short I asked the girls to take as many pictures as they like, but please don't use the flash. (caught a little grief from somebody that worked at the school)

As I was driving home, I was thinking, if it was a parent using a camera flash, would I have asked them to stop?

Did I do the wrong thing here?

You did the right thing...
 

as a matter of fact, next time ask the AD (or whoever is in charge that night) to take care of the problem.

I agree with Indy_Ref have the AD or whoever is in charge take care of it. You made the right call. As far as if it was a parent, I would tell them to stop if it got mentioned to me by a player or coach.

I think this falls into the category of "If it is not a problem let it go". You don't want to stop it until there is an issue.


In your case since the visiting team complained you have a n issue. Go to the host mgmt person (usually the AD) and ask for it to stop. If it doesn't break out the boot.
It is hard to take picture from the parking lot.

This didn't happen (almost did) what if the AD says there isn't an issue, and the kid is ejected, who is going to enforce the ejection?

I know you are going to say that the home team will forfiet the game if they don't leave, but I would really hate to see something this trivial get so blown out of porportion.

I think you answered your own question. It is extreme, but if you can't get an offending party to stop offending, your last option is forfeit. As long as you approach things in a professional and responsible manner, you are acting in your capacity as the boss of the court. If they will not accept your authority, they have escalated this into something beyond what it is worth. It sounds ridiculous to forfeit a game because of a photographer's flash, or even to be threatened with that action. But it is only if the authorities who are able to remove the photographer and should be smart enough to recognize your authority refuse to do so that it can reach that stage.

I have re-thought my last reply. It seems that you first have a bench tech if they can't control this person. The person does not have to leave, they just can't use their flash, so next flash, pop a T on the bench (having warned them that this will be your only recourse if your ruling on use of flash is ignored). How many bench Ts before a forfeit - I don't have my book handy but I think there is a rule? Although it also seems that someone in authority would take some action.

Coach, very true. I never thought about the bench T. Good point.

Like I said above, it worked out, I would really hate to see something like this get bigger than the game.

I would caution very strongly with hitting the bench with a T. Do we really know if they are connected to the school? Sometimes yes, but what if this is a newspaper? I am not sure a bench T is the proper recourse, and will only make the situation worse.

I cannot envison a situation, at least with the AD's around here, where if you are being professional, that they will not handle the issue. It is all in how you handle the situation, honey goes a long way. Remember, 99% of the time the AD is your friend.

When people ask "how do I move up", it is how you handle these situations that sometimes go a long way in how fast you move up the ladder. Keep calm, don't make threats, and try to work with everyone to get it under control

There are a lot of ways out of this without T's or forfiets.

I disagree. It could be a team T (I assume that's what you mean by "bench T"), but I'd be more inclined to suspend the game. See 2.8.1b, and the comment.

You are in control.
 

Officials are in control of everything that goes on in the arena that affects the game. You are in control of anyone that you feel is disrupting the game and you can remove that. Just do not do it yourself, get the AD or any game adminstration to do it, but you can make the decision though.

I think this is a problem from the very get-go.

If a parent in the stands is taking pictures, it is usually from far away with a cheap (to us yearbook geeks) off-the-street camera.

Yearbook staff, however, are often allowed to set up immediately off the baseline, and have powerful equipment and flashes. While some of the kids might think they're good enough for the NBA, this is HS ball, and flashes can be a distraction that could cause injuries.

Just my opinion, from a yearbook POV.

Brian - I am going off the information that it is the home team that has the yearbook photographer and visiting team has complained. Therefore, home team gets tech if they can't remove the offender or force him to stop.

Bob - I will have to look at 2.8.1b when I get home to my trusty book. I would think that, given an option, the first choice would be to inform the home bench/AD that the flash photography has to stop and if they resist, warn them that the next flash is a T. I just look at a forfeit as the option of last resort. One T should provide impetus to change this behavior; if they call your bluff on a forfeit threat you either back down or end the game when you had not used all tools available to you. Just my thoughts.

My daughter competed in gymnastics for years, and one flash was enough to get a parent ejected from the gym. This was strictly for safety reasons. I don't see that in basketball with all the speed and jumping and close play it's all that much different. I would use the safety arguement as the main point, and stick strongly to it.

And really, the home players are just as likely to get hurt as the visitors. What is the home coach thinking?!?!?

Hawk - I would suspend the game before I whack a home team. Again, I just think it would cause my crew more problems later in the game by dishing the T, then to wait for the situation to be corrected. If I am doing my job correctly, the home coach would not even know there is an issue. I would be communicating directly to game managment, not the coach.

Of course, if I suspend the game, then both coaches will know why. And I would be filing a report with the state.