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Questionable calls and questionable behavior in the PBA

It has been said that in the Philippines, hardly anyone ever loses. It’s either someone wins, or was cheated out of a victory. That’s the way it is in the political scene, and so has it become, although to a much lesser extent, in the realm of sports. Thankfully, sportsmanship is still prevalent, and many of those who do accept defeat congratulate the victors, which is the right thing to do. There are of course the sore losers who will never accept the final score and will blame anyone and everyone else in the aftermath. What bothers me the most, though, is when even winners are complaining, and they refuse to let it go even after raising their arms in triumph.

In the spotlight nowadays is a series of recent events in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), particularly hard fouls and light touches, hefty fines and slaps on the wrist, missed whistles, and some bad behavior. We’re talking about flagrant fouls that should have or not have been called, hits above the shoulders, take-downs, accidental (?) hits that broke noses, early foul trouble, heightened emotions, and raised fingers.

I never underwent any special training to officiate a basketball game. I cannot recite verbatim the PBA rules, particularly on fouls and how to call them. I mostly rely on what I have seen and learned in the past, having been a PBA fan for many years and a commentator on radio or TV long enough to know a little about the PBA, and what I see each time I watch a game. I have covered games this Conference in which I, and many others watching at the venue or on TV, disagreed with some calls made by the referees. I, and sometimes my partner on the coverage, have said that some calls were questionable, sometimes highly, from our viewpoint. We see the slow-mo replay on the big screen and we can better assess whether a call should or should not have been made, but we do acknowledge that in real time, at the spur of the moment, the decision to blow the whistle or not, is a split-second one and based on what the particular referee’s senses pick up right at the moment from his vantage point.

I wrote once before that the PG (Parental Guidance/Patnubay at Gabay) rating of the PBA is spot on. Aside from having to explain the rules to learning youngsters, there is also the sheer physicality of the game, the bumping and grinding that necessarily comes with the sport. However, there are so many other kinds of engagement that are out of the ordinary bump and grind, commonly known nowadays as the “second motions”, which are always brought about by “first motions” that go unseen These usually result in flagrant foul calls, technical fouls, actual confrontations and, unless successfully prevented, fisticuffs. There is taunting, complaining, cursing, trash-talking. What are the rules for these infractions? When do they become “actionable” on the referees’ part and on the part of the Commissioner’s Office? How much should be paid as a result?

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Yes, it gets the fans excited, but there is no place for fighting in the PBA. The sport is basketball, and any blows that are not “normal basketball plays” (which are hard to define but easy to spot), and which could incite an altercation, should be dealt with accordingly. Dirty fingers are definitely no-nos as well. There is simply no excuse for certain kinds of behavior, especially in front of the viewing public.

The fans are up in arms about a lot of the calls or non-calls. Others complain that although the right call may have been made, the amount of the fine later assessed by the Commissioner’s Office was either too harsh or too light. Others have raised the issue of favoritism. The always-present “sister-team” issue (i.e., the San Miguel Corporation teams and the MVP teams) has constantly cropped up. But what are the rules, really? When does the discretion of a referee, or the Commissioner for that matter, come into play?

Foul calls are judgment calls on the part of the referees. Based on simple guidelines, a referee has to determine first if there is a foul and, second, if the foul is just a regular one, a Flagrant 1 (unnecessary), or a Flagrant 2 (unnecessary and excessive). Sure, referees make, in the eyes of coaches, players and/or fans, bad calls. Maybe some referees are too “whistle-happy”. There are also times during the games when they “swallow their whistles” and just let the players play, especially during the endgame. It is up to the Commissioner’s Office to deal with erring referees if their judgment seems to be constantly off target. In reviewing the video to determine a flagrant foul, there are many factors to consider, including the perceived intent on the part of the player committing the foul, the circumstances surrounding the foul’s commission, and the severity, or lack thereof, of the foul. True, certain players seem to be whistled for fouls, flagrant or otherwise, more often, but let’s also admit, more often than not these players create their own reputations by their previous actions.

There are just too many aspects to consider in determining the propriety and/or impropriety of calls. Fans are usually biased, as are players, coaches, and team staff. What many do not know, though, is that under the current rules of the PBA, when a player gets hit “above the shoulders”, it does not merit an automatic ejection on the part of the person who “made the hit”, as it was in previous years. The referees must assess the overall situation, review the video, and rule on the category of the foul.

Further, a player called for a Flagrant 2 is not automatically suspended for the next game. The Office of the Commissioner exercises discretion on whether to upgrade or downgrade a call made during a game, or to just affirm it. The amount that a player is fined is also in the discretion of the same office, and, as earlier stated, many factors, which may include repeated “bad behavior”, clearness of intent, the position of the personality involved (e.g., player, team manager, coach, etc.), and the viciousness of the blow, among others.

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The job of the referee is never easy, that’s for sure, and the job of the Office of the Commissioner may be even more difficult, but basketball fans are asking for one thing that does not seem unreasonable at all: CONSISTENCY. The nature and quality of the calls cannot and should not change from game to game, from quarter to quarter, where the coaches and players have to adjust and readjust, and constantly adapt. Each referee may perceive things differently from the others, but following a set of guidelines, ideally there should be an expected and anticipate range of what is and is not allowed. This way, there would be less complaining and less crying. Another aspect is also important: EDUCATION. Educating the public, especially the PBA fans whose lives revolve around the league and the teams for which they cheer, whose emotions rise and fall along with their team’s standing, is essential. A weekly segment perhaps, called PBA 101? Why not?

The Office of the Commissioner, through Commissioner Salud himself in an interview on TV5 conducted by Ms. Erika Padilla, acknowledged that the league is continuously trying to upgrade and improve its officiating. In turn, however, he stressed that any kind of bad behavior will not be tolerated, whether from coaches, players, team officials, or fans. Our responsible elders always told us, “Two wrongs never make it right.” This should hold true in the PBA.

Surely, there is room for improvement amongst all the PBA stakeholders. Would it not be ideal that what people talk about are the high quality of games, the greatness of the players, and the genius of the coaches, instead of questionable calls and questionable behavior?

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.