Game day tester......

[js in sc]

Not sure comparing football to basketball fouls is a valid comparison.  In basketball, the fouls are attributed to the player to count toward his removal from the game.  The scorer needs to know who it was.  In football, all fouls except USC are against the team, not the player, so announcing them is unnecessary for the playing of the game.

[brettjr2005]

Not sure comparing football to basketball fouls is a valid comparison.  In basketball, the fouls are attributed to the player to count toward his removal from the game.  The scorer needs to know who it was.  In football, all fouls except USC are against the team, not the player, so announcing them is unnecessary for the playing of the game.

That rebuttal doesn't really hold up. Basketball having announcers announce the offending player and even displaying the number of the offending player on the scoreboard for the whole world to see has nothing to do with the scorer keeping track. It's done for transparency and to keep everyone at the event (players, coaches, team statisticians, fans, etc) informed. I see no reason not to do the same with football.

[Derek Teigen]

I agree with js in sc  and brettjr2005 because in basketball you can foul out of the game and so knowing who fouled and the number of fouls on each player is an important part of the game and strategy.  In football we have 2 unsportsmanlike penalties on the same player and they are removed from the game....this is what I know:

1.  in our association we have some white hats who say the number of the offending player and some who do not. 

2.  Some times I have called a penalty and I forgot the number of the player or couldn't get the number.  It happens and my bad.

3.  players have a certain amount of anonymity when they make a mistake because there are so many players running around and falling down...unlike in baseball when a mistake is known by everybody watching.

I don't think it would be bad to announce the number or bad not announce the number.  As long as we can report to the coaches the correct information I think that is what is the most important.  But the announcer that thanked the player for the 5 yard penalty resulting in a first down was out of line.

[AlUpstateNY]

That rebuttal doesn't really hold up. Basketball having announcers announce the offending player and even displaying the number of the offending player on the scoreboard for the whole world to see has nothing to do with the scorer keeping track. It's done for transparency and to keep everyone at the event (players, coaches, team statisticians, fans, etc) informed. I see no reason not to do the same with football.

Although a universal practice, at all levels of football, determining the number of a player violating a rule (despite a generations old fantasy) is NOT a requirement for penalizing a player.  As a constructive courtesy, sharing such detail with the offending player's Head Coach, for possible remedial instructive purposes, has long been a general practice.  However, as relates to the game of INTERSCHOLASTIC football, as opposed to other sports or other levels of football, publicly announcing the violators identification serves NO DISCERNIBLE purpose, or provides ANY PRACTICAL or NECESSARY benefit.

Football is a game of constant intense physical intensity and action, that may at times, violate rules and be subject to resentment generating totally inappropriate retaliatory behavior directed against the violator and/or team.  Highlighting,  the identity of the violator may (and certainly has already) provided the necessary impetus to generate retaliatory behavior, which is prone to instantly expand into and/or create total chaos.

The risk of generating such calamity, far outweighs any minimal, or non-existent benefit thus far suggested. 

[zebrastripes]

It does serve a purpose. Almost every comment on this thread has given you a purpose.

You just don't think so because you're stuck in the past, as usual.

[AlUpstateNY]

It does serve a purpose. Almost every comment on this thread has given you a purpose.

You just don't think so because you're stuck in the past, as usual.

Perhaps the most significant benefit of this site, is what we can learn from sharing each other's experience, knowledge, practical application and judgment.  Unfortunately, despite "almost every comment on this thread", I seem unable to grasp any rational purpose, relevant benefit or practical application supporting this practice, at/for the Interscholastic level.

My hope is that someone, with a more astute perspective, would be kind enough to explain some logical, practical purpose, or objective, in providing this detail, so I could better understand some apparent benefit, I have yet to comprehend, beyond "This is what they choose to do at other levels" and "it, somehow, enhances TV viewing and game announcing"

I was hoping someone competent, with a more complete understanding of some potential, necessary benefit, rather than criticize my ignorance, could provide me with the necessary understanding.  Might that be YOU, or are you satisfied to just  throw rocks?       

[Patrick E.]

The best announcement - "everybody except the center" - and announcing the number isn't involved!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5phijpb1Hjk

[VALJ]

Deleted. I'm done feeding into this.

[zebrastripes]

I’m watching an interscholastic basketball game on a night I’m off from officiating one. Double technical foul is assessed and the PA announcer announced the name and number of both offenders.

The fact that we have some people who believe announcing the number in football shouldn’t be allowed  (and the fact that there are states prohibiting it) is laughably stupid.

[Morningrise]

Not sure comparing football to basketball fouls is a valid comparison.  In basketball, the fouls are attributed to the player to count toward his removal from the game.  The scorer needs to know who it was.  In football, all fouls except USC are against the team, not the player, so announcing them is unnecessary for the playing of the game.

Which is why my original suggestion, two pages ago, was to announce the number for UNS *only.* Same thing as basketball except you're gone after two instead of five.

Here's a question - when you actually DO disqualify a player, do you reveal his identity THEN, or do you just say "THAT PLAYER is disqualified"?

I mean, I guess as long as it's not a secret to his coach, you CAN keep it a secret from the fans. But I don't think that serves a purpose.

For every other foul, I have no problem with prohibiting the player identification, whether it's to make things easier or spare the guilty player embarrassment. Even NCAA didn't announce numbers, as recently as 20 years ago.

[AlUpstateNY]

The fact that we have some people who believe announcing the number in football shouldn’t be allowed  (and the fact that there are states prohibiting it) is laughably stupid.

It might be a really helpful assist to explain and educate those (laughably stupid) of us who see no practical purpose or any potential benefit  to mimicking other levels of football who choose to announce and identify players violating rules and incurring penalties to spectators to provide some logical, rational or relevant reason, benefit or objective that would improve the game, or be accomplished by announcing and identifying the football players committing fouls.