Last week’s column about the I witnessed at a high school basketball game brought several responses.

To review what happened, with one team holding a 14-point advantage and with but seconds remaining in the contest, a player from the losing team committed a hard intentional foul against an opponent. The covering official quickly stepped in but, before order was restored, two opposing players got into a scuffle.

It was quickly squelched but not before three players from the losing team left the bench area and attempted to enter the fracas. The officials ejected the two players who were fighting, as well as the three who left their bench area.

After consulting for several minutes, the officiating crew awarded the winning team eight free throws. Six were taken and made by that team’s best shooter, and the other two were taken by another player, who was either the player who was originally fouled or by his substitute, if the fouled player was one who had been ejected.

Several experts have advised me that everything was done correctly except the losing team should have been awarded a pair of free throws. It seems that any time a player is ejected from a game, it is considered to be a flagrant technical foul, and the opponent is to be awarded two free throws.

Since one of the winning team’s players was also ejected for fighting, the losing team should have shot a pair of free throws as well. The losing team’s coach was so upset at losing four of his players for the team’s final regular season game (any player ejected for fighting or leaving the bench during a fight must miss his team’s next contest) that those two free throws were a long way from his mind, so no objection was made.

I am personally surprised there aren’t more fights during basketball games. Hard physical contact has become the norm. Were an official from 40, even 30 years ago, to call one of today’s games, it would take days to complete. Each team would need a squad of 30 players because most would foul out early.

The current style of play comes, of course, from the NBA. Those guys are all such great athletes and so competitive that because of the entertainment value of that style of play more and more contact was allowed.

Nobody wanted to pay good money to see their stars foul out before halftime. Kids watching on television naturally emulated their NBA heroes, so the game itself evolved into what we watch today. Even little girls playing third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade league basketball play with the same rough and tumble style.

I make no comment on the transition from gentle to violent basketball. The game is more popular than ever, with leagues existing for 6-year-olds to 80-year-olds, so it appeals to a whole lot of people.

The same can be said about baseball, soccer, softball and even football.

More and more people are interested in staying active and involved in the sports they like. I think that’s a good thing, and that’s official.

Al Graning is a former SEC official and former Natchez resident. Reach him at

AlanWard39157@aol.com

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