Be the Referee: Football Rules Changes
August 23, 2018
In this week's edition, assistant director Brent Rice discusses a pair of rules changes coming to high school football this fall.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Football Rules Changes - Listen
The biggest rules changes in high school football across the country this year involve player safety.
When any required player equipment is missing or worn improperly, an official's time-out shall be declared, and the player must come out of the game for one down. This includes players not wearing knee or thigh pads or rolling their pant legs up over their knees and equipment such as shoulder pads or back pads being exposed.
The other change continues to hone the definition of a defenseless player, this time affecting the quarterback once he has thrown the ball and becomes a passer. Until that time, he is defined as a runner. As a passer, he continues to be defenseless until the pass ends or he moves to participate in the play.
The penalty for hitting a defenseless player is 15 yards.
Be the Referee: You Make the Call
December 20, 2018
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis offers up a basketball "You Make the Call" scenario concerning the backboard.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Basketball: You Make the Call - Listen
Let’s test your knowledge of high school basketball rules with this “You Make the Call ..."
An offensive player stops dribbling on the end line immediately behind the backboard. Double-teamed, the player throws the ball into the air. The ball travels over the backboard, where a teammate flies down the lane to grab it and score on a thunderous tomahawk jam.
You make the call. Is this legal?
The sides, the bottom and the top of the backboard are always in play. Anything supporting the backboard, like brackets and wires, are always out of bounds. The ball can even travel behind the backboard at any time – even between wires and brackets – and still be in play if it doesn’t touch anything. But, the ball may never pass over the top of a rectangular backboard in either direction.
This is a violation, and the ball is turned over to the other team.
Past editions
December 13: Basketball Uniform Safety - Listen
December 6: Coaching Box Expansion - Listen
November 29: Video Review, Part 2 - Listen
November 22: Video Review, Part 1 - Listen
November 15: You Make the Call - Sleeper Play - Listen
November 8: 7-Person Football Crews - Listen
November 1: Overtime Differences - Listen
October 25: Trickery & Communication - Listen
October 18: Punts & Missed Field Goals - Listen
October 11: What Officials Don't Do - Listen
October 4: Always 1st-and-Goal - Listen
September 27: Unique Kickoff Option - Listen
September 20: Uncatchable Pass - Listen
September 13: Soccer Rules Change - Listen
September 6: You Make the Call: Face Guarding - Listen
August 30: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
August 23: Football Rules Changes - Listen