King of Basketball

If I was the king of basketball I would change the rules to make a 4 point line.  Somewhere between the 3 point line and half-court I would make a 4-point line.  Having a 4 point line would have more exciting games and would have players become better outside shooters.  Even though it would be a very difficult shot I think it would make the game very entertaining.  Also, I think kids would enjoy basketball more if they could make a 4 point shot.  Even some coaches and owners think a 4 point line would be an exciting aspect to the game.  Phil Jackson, longtime coach and owner, had something things to say about the 4 point line.  "So, Jackson's a purist, but he's a purist who would be fine with a 4-point line. How fascinating. He's always been a guy who places emphasis on versatility and skill with the basketball, and he values ball movement over one-on-one play. The game has moved in that direction, but away from the post-ups and midrange jumpers that were so prevalent when he coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers."  Basketball would definitely change a lot with a 4 point line and I think that's the main reason against it.  Although the game would never be the same, I think it would increase a lot of attention to the sport and gain younger athletes to start playing basketball  

Youth Basketball

Youth basketball is all about AAU.  AAU is looked at as a more competitive type of basketball and it is supposed to get you more college exposure. Last week was the McDonald's All-American Game, where the top 48 college recruits play in a game.  Each of those 48 kids all played and may still play AAU basketball.  AAU basketball teams play in, what is known as a showcase tournament where they play in a tournament where colleges will attend.  This gives kids a great chance to get their name out their and be recruited.  For instance the #1 prospect in the country, Ben Simmons, an LSU commit, got noticed at the 2012 Pangos Camp, which is a very large showcase camp that gained him national attention.  AAU basketball gives kids great attention and good competition but do the kids gain skill and work on fundamentals?  Most coaches expect the kids to have good skills and fundamentals.  With that being said the coaches do not necessarily stress basic fundamentals and growth of skills and only care about getting the athletes exposed to college coaches.  Having coaches only focus on college and playing at the next level is not always a bad thing but I think if parents are paying a good amount of money they would want their kid to be trained and become a better player not just doing showcases and tournaments.  Kobe Bryant even went on to say things about AAU basketball.  “I just think European players are just way more skillful,” Bryant said Friday Night. “They are just taught the game the right way at an early age. … They’re more skillful. It’s something we really have to fix. We really have to address that. We have to teach our kids to play the right way.”  The main culprit, Bryant believes, is AAU basketball:  “AAU basketball,” Bryant said. “Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. It’s stupid. It doesn’t teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don’t know how to post. They don’t know the fundamentals of the game. It’s stupid.”  In my opinion Kobe is exactly right,  AAU basketball players are not taught the basic fundamentals of the game.

Rule Change NCAA

A rule the NCAA should change is having the referees be able to check the instant replay monitor whenever they want.  In this years Round of 64 in the NCAA tournament SMU played UCLA.  UCLA won off of an air balled three pointer that was called as goal tending.  They called goal tending with 10.7 seconds left in the game and it gave UCLA a 60-59 lead.  The refs could have went to the monitor and easily saw that there was no goal tending on the play but you cannot go the monitor on a goal tending call.  Despite having the ability to review almost anything else pertaining to close calls during a basketball game, were unable to go the monitors to look at this play and make a determination themselves.  Here’s what should have happened: After the goal tend call on the floor, the refs should have been able to go to the monitor, see that the two replays that CBS aired were inconclusive and ruled that the call on the floor stood.  But that’s not what happened, of course. The confusion after the call and the brief look refs took at whether it was a two-pointer or three-pointer, combined with the absurdity of the refs not being allowed to review the goal tend led to SMU having to rush their final possession. Whether it was a goal tend or not, SMU got robbed and Moreira, the player who made the play, was left in tears, blaming the loss on himself.

NCAA Connection

Without College Basketball the NCAA wouldn't be as popular or as wealthy.  March Madness alone makes the NCAA over one billion dollars and that money covers expenses for all of other non-popular and sports that aren't televised.  NCAA basketball is one of the top watched sports and easily gets the most money, even women's basketball.  In 1995, when the UConn's women's team won the first of its nine national championships, that all changed.  Those championships have not only boosted Huskies pride, they've helped to draw billions of dollars in public funds and alumni donations to upgrade UConn's academic image and the school's facilities. Indeed, there are multiple examples of colleges previously unknown for their basketball programs that have prospered financially after making a deep run into the March Madness that surrounds the NCAA basketball tournament.  The same day the triumphant '95 Lady Huskies visited the state legislature, Connecticut lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to pump $1 billion into "UConn 2000," a campus-improvement project that has since followed the initial billion with another $1.3 billion.  The NCAA also thrives off college basketball by the Cinderella teams making long runs in the tournament and making money off of their gear.  Universities like Butler in Indiana, Florida Gulf Coast and Gonzaga in Washington state, all saw a rise in student application numbers following previous tournament runs.  After Butler reached the national championship game in 2010, its student applications rose about 40 percent, according to a university spokesman. Applications at Florida Gulf Coast increased by nearly 40 percent after that school reached the Sweet 16 in 2013, and applications at Gonzaga rose nearly 12 percent from fall of 1998 to fall of 1999 after the team reached the Elite Eight.  The NCAA makes almost all of its money and popularity off college basketball.  They make money off TV ads, selling gear, and ticket sales.  The NCAA thrives off of college basketball.

Trail Blazers vs. Rockets

On February 6, 1995 the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Houston Rockets at Portland Memorial Coliseum.  A Trail Blazers fan started yelling at Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell after his wife's miscarriage.  Maxwell ran a dozen rows into the stands and punched the fan, Steve George right in the face.  After the incident Maxwell was suspended 10 games and fined $20,000. Everyone's stories with this one seemed to be different and there is no lasting video footage available, but this much we know is true: Vernon Maxwell charged up into the stands during the third quarter of a game in Portland and punched a fan named Steve George in the face. George said it was because he made fun of Maxwell for having five points; Maxwell claimed it was because George was making fun of Maxwell's wife's recent miscarriage. Whatever the reason, it was the first time a player had charged into the stands to fight a fan, and carried with it a 10-game suspension.  This incident could have been stopped by having more security around the stands, but there wasn't.  There is a low chance this will happen again because the security in the stadiums are a lot higher.  This was an unnecessary action by Maxwell and shouldn't be done by a professional athlete.

Rights of Fans

The rights of a fan is to be respectful and support there team.  I think a fan is required to attend the game and respect themselves, their team, and fellow spectators.  There are too many times when fans go to the games, get drunk and act crazy.  For instance, the Hillsborough event when drunk Liverpool fans overcrowded the section behind the goal known as Leppings Lane.  The section was severely overpopulated and people in the front rows were crushed up against the fence.  As a result of the Hillsborough disaster 96 fans were killed and about 766 were injured.  Another event similar to this could happen if fans get out of control.  This shows how fans need to show respect for themselves and others.  It's hard for this to happen in certain sporting events especially because of how big the stadiums are.  It's also difficult for an event like Hillsborough to happen again because most stadiums don't have standing room and you can only get in with a ticket, and once the stadium is sold out, no more fans will be allowed in.  I think fans are allowed to have fun at sporting events but they need to control themselves.

Basketball Announcers

Chris Broussard is known for his obnoxious comments all over ESPN.  Broussard always has to get in every story and blow it out of proportion.  In April 2013, Jason Collins revealed he was openly gay, which made him the first openly gay athlete in a major American sport.  Support came in from celebrities online, and the overall reaction on Twitter was overwhelmingly positive for Collins. Collins later took to Twitter himself to thank fans for the "truly inspirational" show of support.
Broussard, however, took a different view, saying on Outside the Lines that homosexuality is "an open rebellion to God." Here's video of some of Broussard's comments:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42bwxwrpvYg  This goes to show how Broussard can't keep himself under control on the air.  Broussard is definitely my least favorite sports analysts on ESPN.  The only thing he seems to talk about is the New York Knicks and whatever recent controversial news is going on.  My all-time favorite basketball analyst would be Dick Vitale, Vitale always makes the games exciting with his exciting comments, like "Trifecta!" or "Nothing but nylon baby!"  Vitale always makes college basketball games exciting especially the Duke vs. UNC games.  He is always active with fans and getting everyone up on their feet.  Vitale is one of the greatest announcers of all time and makes the games entertaining to watch.