New NBA Rules

            The National Basketball Association has implemented a handful of new rules and are on the verge of adding a few more to the pot. Here’s a look at how the NBA may look different in the next year or two.

            Replay is one area the NBA has recently added to the game and now it is expanding the extent to which it is used. To view all of the details they can be found on NBA.com, but in a nutshell, replay will be used on all initially called flagrant fouls to determine flagrant 1 or 2 as the final outcome of the call, under two minutes all goal tending and charge/blocks in the restricted zone will be reviewed.

            Cons of the added replay rules include possibly extension of game time. The pros include getting accurate calls, especially when it involves players getting potentially thrown out of games and within the last few minutes of a game. Overall the added power of replay is a positive because it SHOULD guarantee the right calls to be made.

            The other major rule that is getting the most buzz that is not official but has received an approval vote from league owners is advertising on game jerseys. Initial reaction from the traditionalist crowd is arguing that it will take away from the look of the game and its tradition. Middle of the road people will say they are fine with it as long as it does not overtake the entire jersey like many European soccer jerseys, just Google Manchester United, Chelsea, or Real Madrid jerseys and you will see that the sponsor is at least five times as large as the team logo. While the more, let’s call them progressive? Crowd is totally fine with it.

            Each argument has valid points, however with the commercialization of society it was only a matter of time until this takes place in not just the NBA but all major sports in the U.S. So why fight it, let it happen, it will ultimately bring more money into the sport allowing for further expansion and ultimately the better well being of the game. Take the Premiere League as an example of success, they have sponsors plastered over the front of their jerseys and it hasn’t turned fans away from the sport, in fact soccer has never been bigger. According to ProFootballTalk.com this past year’s Super Bowl had a record audience of 166.8 million and realistically that number isn’t much higher worldwide. Well the U.S.’s largest sporting event isn’t even half as big worldwide as Premiere League soccer REGULAR SEASON matches. The Manchester United versus Manchester City regular season match this past May recorded an estimated 650 million viewers, according to TheRoar.com.

            Moral of the story? Advertising on jerseys will not ruin the game, if anything it will force the game to get bigger because companies will be pouring even more money into the game, which honestly is something the NBA is in dire need of right now as it is on the verge of a potential glory era with stars like LeBron and Durant emerging and Kobe on the backside of his career. Overall all of the new rules only benefit the NBA which is good news after the lockout debacle last season and the negative press Dwight Howard keeps garnering as of late.