NFHS - Whats the rush?

[Larks]

Curious - does anyone here really think the average varsity game w/ 8 min qtrs takes too long? I keep seeing a reccurring theme relative to rule changes that focus on speeding the game up. Yet they will let HS baseball and football games drag over 3 hours.

If you get the ball in play and not screw around, how are you not showered, in the car and moving about 1:30 after tip? Sometimes games take longer....sometimes games take less. Do you really think milking another minute a game by adding warnings.....which take more time...really helps?

What is the goal time wise that they want?

If we are so worried about time

Why a 20 min warm up? Why not go to 15?

Why introduce the teams, the benches, the cheerleaders and the school plummers AFTER the 20 min warm up??? After the warmup - we should intro starters, play the Anthem and toss period.

Why play 4 Qs when you would go to 2 - 16 min halves and save at least 5 min a game.

If we are so worried about time, put 50 up there and let it run. When it's over, it's over.

[Jurassic Referee]

Jmo, but I think that the games only take too long if we let them take too long. Some games will naturally take longer than others because of foul counts, excessive turnovers, etc. If the officials are consistent about getting the ball back into play promptly, getting the players out of TO's, cutting down unnecessary delays, lining them up for FT's, etc., the games will take what they actually should take. The same applies to football too.

I never worried about the length of a game unless I felt that we were needlessly contributing to that length in some way.

[JRutledge]

It is rare that a HS varsity basketball game takes longer than an hour and a half. And when it does the game is competitive and who is counting?

I work baseball games and a game ending in an hour and a half is extremely rare.

I also agree that 3 hour football games are also common, especially for teams that do almost nothing but pass the ball (which is more and more common).

Peace

[eyezen]

"School Administrators"

If they could get away with it they'd start games 5 minutes after the last bell and the games would be running clock.

[Mark Padgett]

In many places, two games are played consecutively, i.e: JV then V, making it a long night for kids who want to stay and watch both games. I think this is the concern of the school administrators (at least it is for the two with whom I have spoken).

I guess they want the little sociopaths to get more sleep.

[rainmaker]

Here, many of the smaller schools put all four teams, girls and boys JV and Varsity, on a bus and send them all to the game site. Some of those kids don't get home until 9:30 or 10:00 pm. An extra 5 minutes per game adds another half hour onto that routine. Ugh!

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

In many places, two games are played consecutively, i.e: JV then V, making it a long night for kids who want to stay and watch both games. I think this is the concern of the school administrators (at least it is for the two with whom I have spoken).

I guess they want the little sociopaths to get more sleep.

Many of the JV/sophomore games play 7 minute quarters. That cuts back on the game times of the first game and allows the varsity games to start near the scheduled time.

Peace

[socalreff]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

It is rare that a HS varsity basketball game takes longer than an hour and a half. And when it does the game is competitive and who is counting?

I work baseball games and a game ending in an hour and a half is extremely rare.

I also agree that 3 hour football games are also common, especially for teams that do almost nothing but pass the ball (which is more and more common).

Peace

An hour and ten to an hour and twenty is about the norm for most high school games I've done. I have had a few under an hour. Of course I did have 1 go an hour and 50...... but that was a 4OT game. Most college games average 1:30 to 1:45 unless they're media games.