When will they learn?

[Mark Padgett]

I was watching a Cold Case rerun that was filmed in 2004. They were showing a scene from a HS game in 1987. Of course, this is fiction. After a timeout following a made basket, the trail official hands the ball to A1 to inbound on the end line. As soon as he hands him the ball, the game clock starts. A2 scores the winning basket just before the clock expires.

If memory serves (and the odds aren't with me on that at my age), the clock starting at the wrong time in this clip is about the 1000th error I've seen on television regarding sports rules. Of course, I started watching TV in about 1951 (and my eyes are really tired).

How difficult (read "costly") can it be to have someone get the rules right?