In a sport that is known for physicality and dirty plays, basketball has become softer as the years go by. In the 80s and 90s, people were all over each other fouling like crazy, yet the referees let the plays continue, leading to amazing buckets and spectacular plays on offense and defense. Players like Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal are prime examples of the physicality in the earlier days of the NBA. These players were very aggressive and tough to score on and guard during the game. They strike fear into their opponents with their gameplay and trash talk. These guys were the best on the court and they let their opponents know it.
Since then, players have become less aggressive and continue to shoot outside shots, not allowing for contact or great plays at the rim. They use their bodies dribbling up the court or shooting to make sure they can have the advantage over the other team. Many people feel like this is wrong, like 9th grader and basketball player Jack Lopata. He thinks “The [referees] need to let the games continue on so there is less of a chance of flopping and if they do it won’t matter since the dumb calls aren’t made.” He concludes that “The league [NBA] makes good decisions fining players for flopping…this is cheating and way too many people get away with it.”
Throughout these games, many fouls have been called and according to basketball reference, almost 45 fouls are called per game! This slows down the plays and makes it less exciting to enjoy. 9th grader and basketball player Gavin Terrio says, “The referees are way too soft on these athletes and they need to let them be physical enough…this could be bad for the NBA ratings.” On the other hand, players seem to be “stat-padding to win MVP” as Noah Meyer, a varsity baseball captain and strong lover of the game said. This stat padding gets players free throws that rack up points and wins for the team that do it. One player in the NBA has a nickname throughout the league, which is “Free Throw Merchant”. This is because he continues to flop and draw the foul so he can win games for his team.
This is outrageous, and most of their opponents have complained to the media about flopping. Yet, the NBA Commissioner said, “It de-emphasized the particular skill a player had and maybe weighed too heavily on physicality.” Silver then added, “where a big, strong player could come in and prevent an incredibly skilled player from doing those kinds of things.” He is talking about the fairness of the game, yet continues to allow players to shoot close to 30 free throws per game. Something needs to change so that the game can become more enjoyable to the millions of fans around the world, who are hoping to see huge and aggressive plays on the court.
