Question @Drive to the Basket

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by DLH17

Agreed...I'm passing on that one. No brainer.

(Yes, it's a foul - but would be poor GM to blow on that one.)

If it's a foul, why don't you blow the whistle? A good official never "passes" on a foul, especially in the name of "game management".

Or, is it really contact that never caused a disadvantage? If so, then it's not a foul, and there's nothing to call.

A subtle but important difference. In asdf's play, he said "B1 fouls A1 across the arm." Then the official needs to call it, because a foul occurred. If, however, the true meaning was "B1 contacted A1's arm, and the pass was not affected", then the contact was ruled incidental, a foul did not occur, and therefore there was nothing to call.

A foul is a foul, period. Contact, however can be incidental, or it can be a foul. If it's incidental contact, then there's no foul. Words, and their specific meanings, are important.