The most comical rule in sports: The technical foul

| Staff Columnist

If you haven’t seen a video compilation of the worst technical fouls in the NBA, you’re missing out. You’ll see Jayson Tatum getting a technical for lightly bouncing the ball after giving up a foul; Lance Stephenson for doing the air guitar celebration; and best of all, Tim Duncan getting one for laughing on the bench. The video goes on and on, and you’ll notice that an overwhelming majority of these techs come from the last 10 years. It leaves me with one takeaway: The technical foul is the most comical rule in sports.

This brings up the question “What is the actual definition of a technical foul?” In the official rule book, there are a number of clear circumstances where a tech is warranted: Calling a timeout with none remaining, having six players on the court, and fighting are all examples of fair technical fouls that are explicitly listed. But there’s a specific part of the rulebook that gives refs as much power as they want — Section V. 

Section V says that “A technical foul(s) may be assessed to any player on the court or anyone seated on the bench for conduct which, in the opinion of an official, is detrimental to the game.”

Essentially, there’s no clear definition of a technical foul. A ref can always chalk up conduct as being detrimental to the game in order to give a tech, and this gives them authority to use it whenever they want. However, that still doesn’t answer the question of why refs have chosen to enforce the rule so poorly in recent years, when the tech was reserved for more serious offenses in the past. 

There are multiple potential explanations, but the reason I keep coming back to is that the NBA wants to make a more family friendly product, so they’re instructing refs to be more proactive with technical fouls. It’s no secret that the NBA has made attempts to expand their audience, which Commissioner Adam Silver has done an excellent job of so far. By developing more international talent through Basketball Without Borders and making games more accessible through League Pass, the NBA covers more of the world than it ever has. But Silver and the NBA made a mistake in altering the on-court product.

The true power of a technical foul is that it makes everyone on the court fall in line. When a technical is given, every player is reminded to stop showing emotion and stick to basketball. Sure, there are some cases where a ref feels slighted and decides to take a power trip with a tech, but that only explains some cases. If players receive techs for celebrating, talking trash to opponents, and playing physically, there’s less tension between teams, decreasing the likelihood of fighting. If players are punished for showing frustration after a foul, they’re less likely to show negative emotion on the court. In an ideal world for NBA executives, basketball is a game devoid of conflict, where every player is a perfect role model. 

This way, their product is maximized for commercial purposes. Parents are more likely to introduce their children to NBA basketball if everyone plays perfectly clean without any altercations. Brands are also more willing to sponsor the NBA, bringing in more revenue. But in the process of making the game family friendly, the NBA is losing sight of its core identity.

Basketball is a game that is supposed to be played with some grit. There’s a reason why teams like the Bad Boys Pistons and 2000s Pistons have cult followings. They were teams built on passion over skill, with every player willing to fight for 48 minutes. Fans want to see players diving into the stands for loose balls, screaming after big shots, and maybe showing a little bit of irritation when things aren’t going their way. If sports are a reflection of society, they should reflect all of society, not just the parts that sell.

The use of technical fouls is certainly not the only method the NBA has used to make the league less controversial. And there’s nothing wrong with the NBA trying to make the league as family friendly as possible from an off-the-court perspective. But when it comes to allowing players to be their authentic selves on the court, the use of the technical foul is a glaring error.

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