Alternating Possession Debate

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Shouldn't we all be doing that, regardless of experience? I know plenty of great veteran officials that know the rules very very well that never stop studying the book.

Absolutely, but this is what can confuse a few veteran officials:

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Veteran officials have been through years, and years, of rule changes, and casebook interpretation changes. Dozens of changes for most. Hundreds of changes for a few. Sometimes these changes can be just as confusing, or more confusing, than the original rules that they learned many, many, years ago.

Rookies have to learn one set of rules, one casebook, and only have to avoid some of the rule myths that they may have acquired as a player, or fan. There is no excuse for veterans not to have a complete understanding of the rules, but, occasionally, some may screw up an interpretation due to confusion as a result of hundreds of rule changes, and interpretation changes, over many years. Rookies don't have to deal with hundreds of rule changes, and interpretation changes. For rookies, everything is new, nothing has ever changed.

Excessive swinging elbows, with no contact, is a "snap" for a rookie official. A veteran official has to give that interpretation a little thought before making a ruling. One of the jumpers illegally catches a jump ball. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy for a rookie official. Veterans need to give that a little thought. Team A is ready to play after using ten seconds of a sixty second time out, that they requested, and were granted. Team B is not ready to play. You make the call? A rookie can do it in his sleep. A veteran has to be awake to make a correct ruling. A defender tries to block a pass with their leg, and the ball hits their leg above the knee. Rookies: Boring. Veterans: Now let me think about this.

I've always maintained that the rules are easy, at least they were for me over thirty years ago. It's the rule changes that drive me crazy.