Is there every a time that one team is favored over the other in the way a game is called? Say for instances,one team has a long history of winning and an up and coming program says that Team A is favored over Team B in the way calls go in a game.

Please rewrite your post. I cannot understand the question the way you have worded it. It makes no sense.

Z

In all college games and all NBA games there is a favorite. In Vegas, they are the ones you have to lay the points to win your bet!

I won't comment on the way NBA games are called. The Star System is a topic for another thread.

To quote from a wise, and more experienced gentleman. "I don't care what the score is. I don't care what the score may become." I just call the game.

Of course, we as refs always have a favorite and we make sure we know who should win so we can call the game the right way. Sometimes we even take money to make sure the right teams wins. WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?

In short, No, we could care less who wins.

Using my "seeing it as a fan" decoder....
 

I believe BBFAN is asking if there is an advantage (favoritism) if an officiating crew tends to call a tight game, in regards to physical play as opposed to another crew that is much more lenient on physical play.

We all know that each crew sets thresholds which vary. Even though we try to be as consistent as possible.

I have an intense dislike of blarge call, either the defender has obtained(NFHS)/established(NCAA) a legal guarding position or the defender has NOT obtained/established a legal guarding position. To increase the probability of NOT having blarge, a good pregame helps in determining who takes the call in a double whistle situation.

I know, LOL. Dang I am getting senile.

MTD, Sr.
 

What are you talking about? :D And responding to yourself...

Have you sought professional help? ;)

Agree!

There's a secret national meet.....ah! Nevermind! :)

No one here can comment on every game ever played. We can only comment on what we have knowledge of. And the answer is no. Haven't you ever watched a game and really not cared at all who won? Well, that's the way we feel when we take the court.

I don't understand why fans can possibly fathom that.

Mark, just use the "edit/delete" option. That way nobody else will know that you're getting old and senile. :)

Can fans look in the mirror?
 

I thought everyone like the underdog?

I will never say never, but it is very unlikely. I for one officiate many different teams at the HS level. Most I have only read about or heard about through other individuals or the media. Most of the time I do not know any of the participants personally or care about them in a way I would do such a thing. I even did a game at my old HS when they had around a 32 game winning streak at home. Well, they lost to a middle of the road basketball team and I attended the home team. I knew many of the people in the stands and played in that gym in HS. Knew the fight song and identified with the colors of the home team. But they still lost with almost no calls from me and none that affected the game one way or another.

I think fans like to make this up, instead of taking responsiblity for not performing on the court by their team. We are an easy target. No different than the fans of Lebron James blaming the Ohio High School Athletic Association for his problems and suspension, instead of them looking in the mirror at Lebron for his behavior. Everything is always someone else's fault.

Peace

Re: Can fans look in the mirror?
 

I'm with Jeff on this one. I try very hard not to favor one team, but if I catch myself, it's the underdog that's getting my leniency, not the stars. In fact, I'm working hard not to be too tough on the stars. But as to choosing a team ahead of time and making sure they come out on top...

Anyone accuses me of that and they are out of the gym. Period.

On a more specific level, do you sometime find it hard to maintain an unbiased approach to a particularly troublesome player (temper, making faces, marginal poor sportsmanship, etc)? I would think it takes tons of discipline some nights.

This may be a dangerous statement, but when has that stopped me?
If you asked me right now who won the games I did over the weekend (Friday and Saturday) I honestly could not tell you with out some thought. My wife even asked on Saturday and I said "Yes". The only thing I care about is where the game is being played and when I need to be at the gym. ANother consideration I give is who is playing. Why? Well if my assignor calls and gives me the choice of games I will take the two teams that will be competitive. I don't care who wins, I just want it to be well played and/or a close game. THose are much more fun and easier to call. However, this has just landed me the City Rivalry game at the Middle School level next week. I was bumped from a JV game for this. It should be fun, earlier in the year, one of our officials was threatened by a mob, yes mob, outside the door and had to have a police escort to his car where another group was waiting.
I am SOOOOO excited!

LOL! At least you could have posted a sign!

http://www.allied-media.com/images/signs-traffic.gif

In a lopsided kids rec game, with a dirty, slippery tile gym floor I favor the underdog on OB calls that are on the baseline. But this did not happen until my older, wiser, and more experienced partner said:

"The parents are here to see their kids play basketball, not the referees blow whistles."

Which at that level made sense to me.

My experience has been that basketball is a contact sport. Some contact is incidental to the game, other contact creates an unfair advantage and is rightly penalized.

There is a reason that some teams are favored. They know how to use their size and strength to their legal advantage. The un-informed watch a physical game where the fouls seem to go one way and don't realize that the refs are calling it exactly how they should. Fans of the losing side think that the refs are calling the game in a way that benefits the favorite.

Frequently, in reality, the stronger team's players are in an advantageous position when contact occurs, and they become the rightful beneficiary of foul calls. They are one step quicker to the loose balls, and get most of the calls when there is contact contesting those balls. What looks like a call that could go either way is called in favor of the player who started out in the advantageous position.

It takes watching a lot of games, and the ability to separate yourself from what you want to happen, to understand this when it happens to a team you support.

Yessir! Never penalize any ballplayer for being bigger,stronger,more skilled or better coached than their adversary.

Well said
 

How can I work a game for you Hawks Coach? Our HS season is near done and I'm getting tired of the howlers. It would be a pleasure to work a game for a well coached team of players and a coach that understands the game as well as you do.

Thanks for your input to the forum.