On Friday, December 1st, the NBA Players Association filed two unfair labor complaints to the National Labor Relations Board pertaining to the introduction of a new ball and the "zero-tolerance" policy regarding players' reactions toward referees and the calls they make. There has been widespread complaints from players about the good old fashioned leather basketball bouncing its way off the court to make room on the racks for a microfiber composite ball. Top stars such as LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal have made their two cents known on the new ball and many others have complained about the "zero-tolerance" policy as well. But, players aren't the only ones raising their voices about the referees' prolific use of the technical because of a player's natural reactions. Nope, players and unions find themselves in the same fight with NBA fans, including one of the top basketball bloggers in the world, the incomparable Natalie Sitto from Need4Sheed.com.
How passionate is Ms. Sitto about getting rid of this policy that penalizes players such as her favorite baller, Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons, for being "in the moment" of a competitive game? She started her own petition at the beginning of the season last month to spread the good word and fight the good fight! So, with the recent news of the Players Association filing charges against the NBA, I thought I would revisit her feelings on the rash of technicals being called this season, as well as the lawsuit.
About.com: First off, what's the latest with your Free Sheed petition? How many electronic signatures do you currently have and what have you done with the petition?
Natalie Sitto: Right now we are close to 2,500 signatures, but I am hoping to at least double that before I send it off to the NBA and the Players Union. I have been doing everything I can to get the word out about the petition, through Need4Sheed.com, MySpace or fans of the site spreading the word themselves. I have contacted every sports writer that I have found that has written a piece on the subject along with all the major media outlets. I also informed the NBA Players Association along with people from the Pistons organization.
About.com: Would you say that this lawsuit by the Players Association was an inevitability? And I'm speaking more about the "zero-tolerance" policy considering all the complaints by players not being able to show their passion for the game.
Sitto: Yes, especially with all the other rules the NBA has implemented this season. I am well aware there must be rules and regulations, just like in any other sort of work environment. But, how can you change the ball without involving the players? How do you put a cap on emotion? How do you stop a player's emotion during the heat of battle? It all comes down to a judgment call by the referees in that case and that is why I started my petition.
About.com: The Dallas Mavericks' Jerry Stackhouse was quoted as saying, "We're not robots" in regards to the policy. Fans are just as passionate as the players, so is it possible that this policy, which if successful in its aim to quell player reaction, could be harmful to the League since fans will be turned off to this "bland" sort of product?
Sitto: From the reactions I have gotten from the fans that have signed my petition, that is their major concern. Nobody wants to see a player complain about every call of the game, but when you call a technical on a player for screaming with passion because they just made a shot to take the lead in the game, that's going too far.
About.com: From what I understand, players are being fined quite a bit, even for wearing a wristband too close to the elbow! In regards to technicals and fines, for the first five of the season, you are fined $1000 per violation. Then $1500 per for the next five and finally for each penalty after the 16th one at $2500 per, as well as serving a one-game suspension and another suspension with every other technical foul. How steep do these fines sound? Isn't the essence of a technical supposed to hurt the team and not really the individual?
Sitto: The fines actually add up when you look at the numbers. Is it done to deter the fouls? Yes, but to someone like Kobe Bryant or LeBron does that even put a dent in their pockets? It seems the technical is supposed to hurt both the team and the individual, otherwise why would the other team get a free-throw after a call. Again it's supposed to deter the individual player from getting the technical foul and not only hurting themselves in the pocket, but also the team. That's why they added the suspension rule last year. Stern is doing his best to shed the league's tarnished image since "The Brawl" at the Palace in Detroit.
About.com: Do you think with the zero-tolerance policy, along with NBA Commissioner David Stern's dress code, he is manipulating players' future behaviors since they'll eventually need to adapt, especially if nothing comes of the player union's complaints? Does this homogenize the players and their personalities? Or is this something that will make the players focus more on playing the game?
Sitto: Sure David Stern would love to have a league full of choir boys, who dress appropriately, say the right things to the media and act like angels on the court. But, is that going to happen? No, but it will get better. Sure the players will adapt, but there will always be exceptions to the rules. Stern can try all he wants to make his players look like boy scouts but you can't put a lid on personalities. Will it put more focus on the game? No, and as a fan I wouldn't want it that way. I don't know how far the NBAPA's lawsuit will take them, but I wish them luck either way.
About.com: Thank you Natalie for the time and best of luck!
Please click on this link, sign the petition, and help Natalie give David Stern and the NBA's players the fans' point of view on all of this.
