I was just watching some NBA games yesterday. And I noticed something, well, something I’ve noticed for a long time, but it really bugged me yesterday. These guys are traveling all over the place, and the refs just let it slide! I mean, come on!
So, I did what any normal person would do, I hit the internet. I started digging around, trying to find out why the heck traveling isn’t called more often in the NBA. I read through a bunch of articles, forum posts, and even some official NBA stuff. Here’s what I found out:
- It’s All About the Flow: Apparently, the refs don’t want to interrupt the “flow” of the game. They think that calling too many travels would slow things down and make it less exciting to watch. I can kinda see their point, but still…
- It’s a Judgement Call: I found out that judging whether a move is a travel or not can be pretty tricky. Especially in the NBA where players are super fast and athletic, it is really hard to see whether they’ve taken too many steps. It’s not always black and white.
- There’s This “Gather Step” Thing: I learned about something called the “gather step.” Apparently, players are allowed an extra step when they’re gathering the ball to shoot or pass. This rule is kind of confusing and seems to give players a lot of leeway. But I think it makes sense if you are a fast player.
- They DO Call It Sometimes: It’s not like they never call traveling. I saw some posts from people saying they saw traveling called in recent games. I also checked several videos and saw it. But it definitely seems like they let a lot of travels go uncalled.
- Fans Are Divided: Some fans are super mad about the lack of traveling calls, they even complained about it on the internet. They think it’s ruining the game and that players are getting away with too much. Other fans don’t seem to mind as much. They say it makes the game more exciting.
My conclusion
After all this research, I’m still kind of on the fence. I get why the refs don’t want to call every single travel, but I also think they should call it more often. It’s frustrating to watch players take like five steps and not get called for it! I think the “gather step” rule needs to be looked into. Maybe they could make it clearer, or maybe they could just get rid of it altogether. I don’t know, I’m not a rule-maker. I just want a fair and exciting game! That is all I want to share today.
