Both And

Perhaps the most debated rule in all of college basketball is the block/charge call when a player is driving to the hoop. Nothing so sways the energy of an arena quite like this officiating decision.  Fans bolt out of their seats in either elation or fits of rage when the referee blows her whistle, puts one hand behind her head, and points the other way.

 Coaches lose their minds. 

Retrieved from www.referee.com

Taking a charge is the quintessential sacrificial ploy in basketball. It’s a game changer because it not only negates an offensive possession-- and oftentimes a basket-- it also adds another tally  in the foul column for the player who had the ball. But mostly, because of the effort and selflessness that’s required to make it happen, it becomes a B12 shot for the team that gets the call. It’s the play that’s worth about fifteen points even though none go on the board.

We all know what a charge is.  Technically speaking, even the average game-goer who’s not well versed in the adjudication of the rules knows that the defensive player has to stop and establish legal guarding position before the offensive player runs over him. If he does, the call that labels the contact is an offensive charge. If he doesn’t, the foul is on the defense. It’s the play that almost always divides the gym in half.

In 2010 at the urging of players and coaches--who on survey after survey said officials almost always get this one wrong-- the NCAA decided to put an arc on the floor (the NBA had had a restricted area for over a decade) to assist officials in the making of this call.  The message sent to officiating groups was “You screw this up too much.  We’re going to give you a tool to better help you get it right.”

Oh be careful what you ask for– you might without intending to, make things a whole lot worse. 

The rules of the restricted area arc on the floor simply say that a secondary defender’s feet must be outside of the paint or the call is automatically a block—even if the defender was planted in position long before the offensive player ever thought about leaving the floor. If the heels of the defender’s shoes so much as touch the paint, it’s a block. No discussion.  The rule is painstakingly clear. The official has no choice.  

Retrieved from www.sportsfanfocus.com

Unfortunately, the rigid line of “always” negates nuance. And without nuance, refs have little chance of getting this one right.

Regrettably, we live in an “either or” world. We love absolutes. Hard lines have clear edges (and prominent pokey parts but people don’t talk too much about that).  We feel confidence when we have some measurement or form of calculation that makes us feel sure. A way to “prove” it, whatever “it” might be.   So, we walk around with buckets so we can clearly know who’s who. If you’re a conservative you go in this bucket.  If you’re a liberal you go in that bucket.  If you’re a conservative liberal or a liberal conservative, I’m sorry.  There are no quasi-buckets.

You either are or you are not. 

We get so skittish about “sometimes”.  And kind of.  Like anything other than cut and dried rigid is unreliable. It’s as if “not always” is a projection of weakness or a sign of intellectual confusion. Leaving room for circumstance feels wishy-washy or weak, like we haven’t made a big enough commitment or are too uninformed to simply make up our mind. But gray can look blue or green, depending on the light. Nuance is what lets us see them both.

Not everything is always simply this or that. 

One of the added values of having the opportunity to deliver keynote speeches is that I always leave with more than I brought. Being around people who are striving for excellence is inspiring, and I always learn something—or a bunch of somethings—while I’m there. Last week I heard a CEO in his introductory remarks encourage his crew to think about the concept of “both and.” He spoke in reference to remote workers… and new technology… and forms of billing… and job descriptions, titles, and roles. His vision of a nimble business model that morphed into what would make the most sense in a given situation, reeked of understanding and acceptance without a wavy expectation line. It wasn’t situational ethics, it wasn’t inconsistent measuring, it wasn’t a breach of core values. It was “both of these concepts are really great ideas and they have a time and a place.”  He said, we can work remotely some AND we can work in an office together.  We can be a salesman AND a partner.  We can use new forms of automation AND still call a client on the phone. We can be “both and” in service to our mission. He asked his team to try to move forward from the world of “either or.”

Not all things fit in buckets. And, yet, sometimes they fit in several at exactly the same time. Most have their sometimes moments as well as their sometimes not moments, and it’s the making room for nuance that gives us the greatest chance at getting close to right.

Referees miss just as many block/charge calls now as they ever did before the semi-circle was painted underneath the hoop. Not only does the rigidity of the rule back them in a corner, too much looking at the lines keeps them from seeing the most important things. When two players collide as one is making her way toward the basket, is it a block or a charge? 

Sometimes it just depends.

P.S. NBA Referee Moments