More Foul Calling in the NBA?

I wrote the following response to a news story coming out of the National Basketball Association offices which stated that NBA refs are being instructed to call more fouls on players who are protesting foul calls made against them. The intent is to stop the whining by players, and to speed up the game a little as it has become bogged down in mini-rants and incessant cry-baby complaints out of players and coaches. My response:

"It may not seem like much, but at least the League is starting to tap into the things fans find most irritating about today's game.

Personally, I'd like to return to the NBA of 30 or 40 years ago when actual skill in footwork, dribbling, and non-contact defense were prized by fans, and a joy to watch; when hanging on the rim was un-sportsman-like conduct; putting your elbow into a defender was an offensive foul, and traveling was called when any player took more than two steps without dribbling.

I stopped watching NBA games about four years ago because what I see is no longer skill so much as the ability to brawl on court and get away with as much as possible without getting caught. Then when they do get caught, these overpaid whiners throw a mini temper tantrum and act like they are being picked on by the refs. I long for the days of player loyalty to the cities they played for; when being a role model to kids actually meant something to the average player--rather than being an irritating afterthought.

I say, start calling all contact, all swiping at the ball, and definitely any complaining for committing a foul that the players themselves know damned well they did. The game needs to get back to its roots in just about every way.

The NBA will probably start attracting more fans back into the overpriced seats in the luxury arenas that Stern and Co. insisted be built in order to fit into their new "economic model." Maybe then they'll own up to creating the monster that is now the National BasketBRAWL Association. But I doubt it.